F-35 customers in Asia-Pacific monitor Lockheed upgrade saga from afar

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Lockheed Martin’s delay in rolling out the F-35 fighter’s Know-how Refresh 3 improve package deal seems to haven’t any fast impact on clients within the Asia-Pacific area, however governments are monitoring their acquisition timelines carefully.

The American agency paused F-35 deliveries pending acceptance of the TR-3 software program suite, which contains a mission system avionics improve to spice up the plane’s information storage, show processing and throughput capabilities. The package deal additionally varieties the premise of the Block 4 improve, which is slated to be extra complete.

Protection Information requested Lockheed whether or not purchasers in Australia, Japan, Singapore or South Korea had voiced alarm over the delays. A spokesperson replied: “We’re staying in shut contact with our clients to make sure they’re knowledgeable about any supply impacts. Additional questions are greatest addressed by the respective governments.”

A spokesperson on the Australian Defence Division mentioned the TR-3 issues, which have prompted an uproar in Washington, haven’t affected the nation’s “present fleet of F-35A.”

Protection officers in Japan and South Korea didn’t reply to Protection Information’ inquiries.

Due to the delays, the Royal Australian Air Drive is struggling the inconvenience of late supply of 9 remaining F-35As. This has a knock-on impact in regard to declaring remaining operational functionality, which “requires supply of all 72 plane,” the Australian protection spokesperson mentioned.

The federal government now expects to obtain all planes “throughout 2024-25″ — a sign the symbolic remaining operational functionality milestone might stretch into subsequent 12 months, past the unique goal.

“The RAAF continues to work carefully with the U.S. F-35 Joint Program Workplace on the supply of the ultimate F-35A Lightning plane for the RAAF,” the spokesperson mentioned.

The division official was tightlipped about how or when in-service F-35As containing older TR-2 and Block 3 software program would obtain upgrades. “Topic to authorities approval, delivered RAAF F-35A plane might be upgraded to the TR-3 commonplace as a part of the F-35A follow-on modernization program,” the official mentioned.

The TR-3 delay is just not anticipated to affect South Korea, because it beforehand acquired 40 F-35A fighters from 2018 to 2021. In December, Seoul procured 20 extra F-35As within the Block 4 configuration, which is able to start arriving in 2027.

Additionally in 2027, a South Korean upkeep, restore and overhaul depot at Cheongju Air Base will begin operations, that means the nation is not going to should depend on Australia for deeper F-35 maintenance.

Singapore may additionally keep away from impacts from the TR-3 situation as a result of the 4 F-35Bs the nation ordered in 2020 are due in 2026. Final 12 months, Singapore exercised an possibility for eight further F-35Bs, that are slated to reach in 2028. And in early 2024, the federal government introduced the acquisition of eight F-35As, anticipated from 2030.

Japan is the one different Asia-Pacific nation with energetic orders — 105 F-35A and 42 F-35B fighters. Almost 40 F-35As have been handed over to this point, with Japan operating its personal remaining meeting and checkout facility. The primary six American-manufactured F-35Bs — configured with TR-3 since they fall below Lot 16 — are presupposed to arrive early subsequent 12 months.

With Lockheed Martin anticipating to ship the primary TR-3 fight training-capable plane this third quarter, it stays to be seen whether or not the timing holds.

In accordance with an organization spokesman, TR-3 is a “prime precedence,” with many of the new options of the package deal now in flight testing.