The F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin have finalised the contract for the production and delivery of up to 398 F-35s, costing a total of £25bn, for the US, international partners and Foreign Military Sales aircraft in Lots 15 and 16.
There is also the option to include Lot 17.
The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have announced the finalisation of a contract for the production and delivery of up to 398 F-35 aircraft, at a cost of $30bn. The deal includes 145 aircraft in Lot 15, 127 in Lot 16, and the option to include up to 126 in Lot 17, which would include the first F-35 aircraft for Belgium, Finland, and Poland.
These aircraft will be the first to include Technical Refresh-3 (TR-3) hardware, which will enable Block 4 capabilities. TR-3 includes a new integrated core processor, a panoramic cockpit display, and an enhanced memory unit.
“Continuing to add new countries to our global F-35 fleet further validates the capability and affordability of this aircraft in providing 21st Century Security to nations and allies,” said Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager, F-35 Program.
“There is simply no other aircraft that can do all that the F-35 does to defeat and deter even the most advanced threats.”
Last year, the F-35 team was on track to meet its commitment of 148 aircraft deliveries, but a temporary pause in flight operations, which is still in effect, has prevented the necessary acceptance flight tests from being carried out.
Despite this, the F-35 has continued to demonstrate its capabilities worldwide and has seen international growth, with Finland, Germany, and Switzerland all signing Letters of Offer and Acceptance as a step towards procuring F-35 aircraft.
To date, 17 countries have participated in the F-35 program, and more than 1,870 pilots and 13,500 maintainers have been trained. The F-35 fleet has also surpassed over 602,000 cumulative flight hours.
In what year/Lot will the Swiss and German F-35 Arrive? F-35 Joint Strike Fighter:Cost Growth and Schedule Delays ContinueGAO-22-105943 Published: Apr 27, 2022. Publicly Released: Apr 27, 2022. “Operational testing of the F-35 continues to be delayed—primarily by holdups in developing an aircraft simulator—even as DOD goes forward with the purchase of up to 152 aircraft a year. The more aircraft produced before testing is complete, the more it might cost to retrofit those aircraft if issues are discovered. We testified that if DOD moves forward as planned, it will have bought a third of all F-35s before determining that… Read more »
F-35 production decision won’t come until end of fiscal 2023 — at least “In a roundtable with reporters Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, the program executive officer for the F-35 Joint Program Office, said the F-35′s critical Joint Simulation Environment testing, which has to happen before the aircraft’s initial operational test and evaluation phase can be closed, is now expected to take place in early spring or summer 2023. Before a milestone C decision can be reached on full-rate production for the F-35, the results of these simulation tests must be validated and used to help create a report necessary… Read more »
“Following the crash landing of an F-35B near Lockheed Martin’s LMT assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas two weeks ago, the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) has grounded a number of F-35s including foreign aircraft until at least January.
The latest grounding comes less than six months after the Air Force temporarily grounded its F-35A fleet this past summer.”
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Crucial F-35 Computing Upgrade Sees New Cost Overrun and Delay Overruns on F-35 software, hardware upgrade now $680 million Pentagon sees project completion slipping past July 2023 “Cost overruns on a project to upgrade Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 cockpit computer have risen another $236 million, nearly doubling the size of the original $712 million contract, US officials said. The F-35 Joint Program Office said cost overruns on the project now total $680 million and that delivery of the first jet with the upgraded hardware and software would be pushed back several months from the planned completion date of July 2023. The… Read more »
Crucial F-35 Computing Upgrade Sees New Cost Overrun and Delay Overruns on F-35 software, hardware upgrade now $680 million Pentagon sees project completion slipping past July 2023 “Cost overruns on a project to upgrade Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 cockpit computer have risen another $236 million, nearly doubling the size of the original $712 million contract, US officials said. The F-35 Joint Program Office said cost overruns on the project now total $680 million and that delivery of the first jet with the upgraded hardware and software would be pushed back several months from the planned completion date of July 2023. The… Read more »
9 December 2022 at 11:00 GMT Crucial F-35 Computing Upgrade Sees New Cost Overrun and Delay Overruns on F-35 software, hardware upgrade now $680 million Pentagon sees project completion slipping past July 2023 “Cost overruns on a project to upgrade Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-35 cockpit computer have risen another $236 million, nearly doubling the size of the original $712 million contract, US officials said. The F-35 Joint Program Office said cost overruns on the project now total $680 million and that delivery of the first jet with the upgraded hardware and software would be pushed back several months from the planned… Read more »
NC, giving the benefit of the doubt and assuming you are not a troll, it seems necessary to point out that the announcement of full rate production will make almost no difference to the program. LM will not suddenly start producing more planes, neither will they be paid any more. As to the training simulator, do you really believe that any buyer really believes this to be “critical”? It’s a nice to have when ready. So your harping on about program deficiencies is petty/disingenuous and the GAO’s reports are typical of auditors, without context, irrelevant.
Hasn’t stopped 17 nations buying the aircraft and now over 890 aircraft in service around the world and growing. USAF F35A display coming to the Royal International Air Tattoo this year. 👍
well said Robert
Thanks for the heads up about the F35A display team coming to RIAT 23 👍 I was hoping that they’d be there.
It would be great if the F22 Raptor display is also coming 🤞
It sure would. Nothing announced though about F22. 6 departed Lakenheath recently heading back to Alaska.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed. 🤞
I believe so, I saw some footage on YouTube of them going 😢
there is no further sightings if theVSTOL F22
If they are not grounded, which seems to happen quite frequently. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed. They Would make a great addition to the show. Think they are attending Duxford too with the heritage flight.
Just like your comments, irrelevant.
The facts hurt don’t they? Unless you know more than the Air Force Lieutenant General that is!
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If you understood the “facts” that would also help, the rest of the world has moved on, you sound like an old record with your GAO cut and paste.
“the world has moved on”
The trouble is, the F-35 hasn’t which is what you need to understand.
I keep on posting the FACTS, try reading them rather than the BS comments posted by those who only have their uninformed opinions.
Hawk has been grounded on at least 2 occasions last year, and that’s a far more mature airframe and simpler. Its still suffering problems with the Adour engine. Typhoon was ground last summer. Italian Typhoon crashed last month also. Typhoon production was halted a on a few occasions. Point is this is actually quite normal.
https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/italian-typhoon-fighter-crashes-while-returning-to-base-in-sicily-one-pilot-killed
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/hawk-jet-trainer-engine-problems-spread-to-us-navy-us-marine-corps
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2015/10/13/germany-suspends-eurofighter-deliveries-due-to-quality-problems/
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-austria-eurofighter-idUKKCN0HQ57620141001
https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/safety-problems-eurofighter-costs-soar-amid-mismanagment-a-910231.html
https://www.thelocal.de/20160119/software-malfunction-means-luftwaffe-can-only-fly-in-the-day/
Pleased to learn there is a projected timeframe for Joint Simulation Environment testing; discernable progress at last to close out IOT&E. 😊
It’s a start! Happy New Year by the way.
But these are enhancements. The Current F35 has had a 20 to 1 kill ratio at red flag. There’s now F35 aggressors to which even an F22 pilot describes as challenging as the F35 even now is more advanced and has more capabilities than the F22.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davedeptula/2021/03/29/f-35-hitmen-put-us-and-partner-lives-at-risk/
For better or worse it’s time for the UK to plan its F-35 purchase schedule. We know that the new hardware is Block 4 ready and the cost of the software upgrade will be minimal. We need firm assurances on the Meteor-ready lot, and then we sort out purchases to the end of the decade and beyond.
Knowing when the planes will arrive might spur the RAF into more action on training pilots. Sending pilots to other countries to train isn’t a plan, it’s a short term cludge.
“the cost of the software upgrade will be minimal” is not the way that Lockheed Martin operates. Profit is King and that is a major profit extracting opportunity. We will see when it arrives.
Unlike every other business in the world?
He doesn’t know business, he is a troll who operate to a script!
RAF should buy Lockheed shares…😀
I see you’ve gone quiet over your support for Putin and his army of orc racists.
So truth will out, you’re an old school communist who despite the collapse of the USSR, still feels the need to attack the West. Yes, profit is king, which is why western capitalism destroyed your bankrupt communist workers paradise.
Over the last 48 hrs he is going full on Nazi propaganda mate! He must have had his call up papers to join the low flying tank turret display team and is now desperate to prove his worth as a keyboard wanker!
Low flying tank turret display team. Hilarious.
Johnski would you care to criticize the illegal invasion of a sovereign democratic country or the civilian murdering, raping, torture and looting actions of the piss poor Russian army?
Silence……thought not.
Lets give Ukraine Challenger 2s and end this war.
👍! He never will condemn it as he is not allowed! How many times have we politely requested him to! I’ve also asked him in the past to type Putin is a wanker, but he got shook/scared and would never do such a thing, as bot troll accounts are logged mate!
And Cymbeline clocked him on a number of other sites spouting the same shite since 2014, one being a pro Russian defence site! He has been caught out, again, yet will never try to refute or debate the issue, as we all know, he has a script to follow and cannot deviate as he will get it all wrong 👍
Capability and numbers your fav Nazi Pooptin and his 4th Reich can only dream off eh!
All businesses operate with profit as a keystone part of strategy.
Ignore that and you don’t have a business for long.
Some sober reading about the MOD aircraft plans.
https://breakingdefense.com/2022/12/uk-industry-officials-raise-eyebrows-over-royal-air-force-f-35-e-7-and-a400m-programs/?amp=1
The current 48 will be finished delivery in 2925. The current plan looks like to take other 25 out to 2033 at a rate of roughly 4 a year.
Full operating capability is currently planned for 2025.
Jon, I don’t believe that the software package will only see a minimal increase. Projected cost of the B version is believed to be 78-80 million in dollars, without the engine, the C version is slightly more expensive.
Yes the package works out at around 63 million a plane, but the costs aren’t equal.
It just keeps going up. The price that is! “The Bloomberg agency publishes an article by Anthony Capaccio reporting that software updates add to costs, but also potentially lengthen the timeline for completing the F-35 program. Text title: Crucial F-35 Computing Upgrade Sees New Cost Overrun and Delays According to US officials, cost overruns in upgrading the aircraft’s cockpit computer software F-35 amount to $236m, which adds up and almost doubles – a total cost overrun of $680m – the original $712m contract. These overruns may cause delays from the original production completion estimate, which was July 2023. However, Lockheed Martin says… Read more »
Cost overruns on a project to upgrade Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 cockpit computer have risen another $236 million, nearly doubling the size of the original $712 million contract, US officials said.
The F-35 Joint Program Office said cost overruns on the project now total $680 million and that delivery of the first jet with the upgraded hardware and software would be pushed back several months from the planned completion date of July 2023.
The original contract, from 2018, was valued at $712 million.
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9 December 2022 at 11:00 GMT
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As usual. Only sharing half the story. Very high inflation has also contributed to the cost for LM and its suppliers. Inflation affects the price of everything, even fighter jets. Material cost hikes from COVID-19 are also still a factor. And the cost of an F35A still comes in under the Pentagon’s own cost goal of $80M at €77.9M
Costs and supply chain issues are a factory which are still impacting most goods in daily life, fighter jets wont be immune to these delays either.
But of course is reality and just moaning about something that you dont like when no actual alternative was available to use on our carriers!!
Exactly James. The F35 is the only 5th gen in town, and provides overwhelming capabilities. The people who fly it, love it.
I think you need to consider the actual spiralling costs against our military budget and ask yourself why we and others have cut the number of aircraft we intend to purchase. Just ask them, they love it! The plane was an F-35A! “Astonishingly, the F-35 cannot dogfight, the crux of any fighter jet. According to test pilots, the F-35 is substantially inferior to the 40-year-old F-15 fighter jet in mock air battles. The F-35 could not turn or climb fast enough to hit an enemy plane or dodge enemy gunfire. Similarly, the F-35 struggled to get a clean shot at… Read more »
The reasons for cuts are numerous, seen the news at any point since February 2020 by any chance, minor thing called a pandemic ring any bells? Now the world is in a recession which is going to cause further issues to potential budgets plus the war in Ukraine. Its still makes virtually no sense buying more planes now with not enough pilots to fly them and having to pay millions per air frame in a few years to upgrade to the standard we should have waited for. Is also lifespan of the model to consider, buy lots now regardless of… Read more »
I’m not quite sure what you mean James. I do not want more F-35s period. Surely that must be clear to anyone who reads my posts, and what we do purchase should be able to deliver what it said on the can when we opted to buy them in the first place without the endless spiralling costs and problems that have been associated with it since its inception. Read some of the links included in this article and the article itself to get a better picture of where we are currently. Canada is purchasing them like others in limited numbers… Read more »
Hi Nigel, I believe the confirmed Canadian F345 buy is 88 unites , seems a pretty respectable number . Appears to be a one for one replacement of their F18s.
I
HI Klonkie, a good number yes, but still a way off it seems!
It’s also creating over 3000+ jobs as I understand it.
As outlined in Strong, Secure, Engaged, Canada has committed to purchase a new fleet of 88 advanced fighter jets for the RCAF, and today, the federal government announced that this new fleet will be comprised of F-35 jets.
The first deliveries of these aircraft are anticipated to begin in 2026, and we anticipate that we will reach Full Operational Capability with our entire fleet between 2032 and 2034.
thanks Nigel, you do have a pont re “we anticipate that we will reach Full Operational Capability with our entire fleet between 2032 and 2034.”
That’s not actually true cost per unit has come down. This year is the first year in some time costs gave gone up but that’s a global issue. The F35A now comes in cheaper than most 4.5 gen airframes and has more capabilities. Hence why its being selected over other aircraft in international competitions.
https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/lockheed-martins-f-35a-fighter-jets-could-cost-more-future-cfo-says-2021-07-26/
The US seems to be looking at that a little bit differently. This didn’t end well prior to Christmas as I’m sure your aware. “Once construction ends, completed F-35s prepare for their first flight by Lockheed Martin test pilots. For the F-35B, the short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant flown by the U.S. Marine Corps, test pilots also take the fighters up for a short hover. Four or five fighters are flown each day on average, sometimes more, said test pilot Brian “Banski” Bann, who flew Harriers for the Marine Corps. But clear skies are a must for these acceptance flights, Bann noted, so… Read more »
At least they can fly, the Hawk T2 engine problems means UK may need to train pilots overseas.
Costs will go up initially for new capability but then normally comes done as the technology matures.
Also BAe get some nice business from the upgrades.
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/bae-systems-to-upgrade-electronic-warfare-system-for-block-4-f-35
It’s also worth putting the costs into perspective. Quoting below its appears over the cost over its lifetime the F35 is no more expensive than the cheapest 4.5 gen available. So costs going up isn’t that relevant if all other less capable options aren’t cheaper.
In fact, the Finnish Government’s report on the HX competition, where Girpen E participated and Lightning II won, states that no bid was significantly less expensive than others in terms of operation and maintenance costs.
https://www.aviacionline.com/2022/01/f-35-cheaper-than-the-gripen/
Hi Expat, I found this which gives a better insight as to the coverup of the true cost of the F-35, something the MOD is not prepared to share with the defence select committee as I recall.
“The Defense Department itself, for starters, has acknowledged it can’t afford as many F-35s as it wanted in 2023, cutting its planned buy from 94 to 61, a 35% reduction.
That’s because the plane’s true cost has been fudged for years.”
This was also interesting to read.
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Yes there’s around 2018 Lockheed we’re halled over the coals due to costs. But since then there’s been a real reduction in costs. The UK is suffering from exchange rate issue’s in 2008 you could buy $2 for a pound. Pound now buys just $1.2 . That’s a 40% increase in anything priced in $.
Again it’s worth putting it into perspective BAe were then tasked with delivering cost reductions as for a 4.5 gen fighter Typhoon operating costs were high so its not an unfamiliar story.
https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/lockheed-agrees-to-30000-per-flight-hour-cost-for-f-35a-by-fy2023/145448.article
https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-typhoon-report-idUKLDE73D25820110414
https://www.flightglobal.com/uk-to-drive-down-typhoon-operating-costs-to-match-f-16/124856.article
Any RAF aircraft in these production lots. If block 4 enhancements coming online surely HMG should be ordering the 26 extra aircraft recently promised? Unless ongoing sticking point of UK weapons integration still being delayed?
My guess is the only way the integration will happen is if the MOD pays for it. Not paying for it gives the MOD the perfect excuse to delay the order, until funds come available. In other words my assumption is we haven’t ordered the places because we can’t afford it.
Money is needed to order, if the budget this year, next year etc has no available money we cant order. Also no one seems to know if the full UK weapons suite software is actually integrated yet, if its not even if we have the money we dont want to be ordering anything.
Whilst that makes logical sense in isolation, the part I don’t understand is we have a war ongoing in Europe involving Russia that could easily overspill into other European countries and so waiting another 10 years plus to get the kit the armed forces needs seems unwise to me. Ok the odds of it overspilling are reducing by the day but to me it does seem odd that we didn’t speed anything up over the last year.
Totally agree however the war if it spreads will escalate massively and will be many nations involved not just us.
Russia has no carrier to threaten ours with and the biggest issue on that front is its Subs.
A land war in Europe isnt going to get far and the Russian air force probably couldnt get very far through Europe if everyone’s on a war footing.
Ultimately the current scenario poses virtually no threat to us in a conventional sense, if it goes Nuclear well does it matter if we have 1 F35 or 1,000?
True, my thinking though as more lack of fighters full stop. NATO has always been light on land based air defense and so needs to ensure it has top coverage always there, which requires volume and the NATO Russian border is huge.
A carrier without a meaniful number of jets for over a decade is stupid but agreed not a major issue right now.
Our land based air defences are a big black hole, assuming Russia has any long range accurate (conventional) missiles to fire at us it would be a big weak point. Yes we have T45’s but the Russian Subs in the numbers they have would be a big worry for using the T45’s at sea. In theory we would forward base some fighters to European bases to assist with long range air defence and again its questionable how many we could put forward. However an attack on a Nato state would bring many others into play and Russia cant get through… Read more »
Nigel Collins. The copy and paste kid 😆
+100
You’ve figured him out too 👍
Hello Ron 5, still using the +100 😂 It’s 2023, try something new 😂😂 Are you undercover? Sorry if I’ve blown it 😂😂😂
I think he has shares in Boeing, it would explain his rabid attacks on Lockheed Martin’s F35 programme.
That or the Kremlin 😄
He’s too competent (in his cutting and pasting technique) to be working for the Kremlin 😏
Agreed, he had his opinion and he is entitled to it, unlike JohninMK who has an script and has to follow it!
I also pay my taxes and expect to see a return on them rather than a continual loss. As of 2018, I wonder what the cost will be now? “Britain will have to pay part of an estimated £12 billion bill for upgrades to the F-35 warplane over the next seven years to make it combat-capable, according to comments made in the US. A member of the House of Representatives armed services committee said that the modernisation costs to 2024 would be split between $10.8 billion (£7.8 billion) for software development and $5.4 billion for deploying the updates and other… Read more »
So you are saying the aircraft we have not cant fire a missile at anything at all?
As a tier 1 partner in the program of course we are tied into ongoing development costs, what did you expect?
“As a tier 1 partner in the program of course we are tied into ongoing development costs, what did you expect?
I fully understand, one or two others on here seem not to.
As for missiles???
I’m not referring to Airborne just in case you think I am!
Any for the U.K.? Anybody know?
I think so. I get confused between the delivery years and the Lot numbers, but I think you add eight. So Lots 15-17 will be delivered starting this year and the following two years, when we are expecting 7, 6 and 5 planes respectively. That brings delivery up to 48.
I state this hoping that if I’m wrong someone will correct me.
Articles that mention Lot numbers rarely bother to link that to expected year of delivery, and those that talk about delivery don’t mention from which Lot number. I have no idea why not.
Very curious about that panoramic cockpit display. Is it some kind of 360 HUD to replace the HMD and lighten the helmet?
Nope apparently just a new glass cockpit
No, it’s just a new updated wide area display.