Software Faults Ground F-35 Warplanes

The Defense Department will stop accepting some newly built F-35 Joint Strike Fighters as delays in upgrading the fighter drag on.

Lockheed Martin has now said it would not be delivering around 53 F-35 fighter jets to the US military this year as it has problems authorising and checking the software that is preloaded on new jets.

The company now expects to deliver between 100 to 120 F-35s this calendar year, down from the planned 147 to 153, CEO Jim Taiclet has said.

Lockheed delivered 50 F-35s in the first six months of 2023, Taiclet said. Those planes all had software known as Technology Refresh 2.
 
Subsequent aircraft include new hardware and software, Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3, which will bring over 20 times more computing power, plus more memory and a new panoramic cockpit display.

But the company has been unable to get the new system working reliably, and in June, the Pentagon cancelled the jet delivery.

The Pentagon will not resume accepting the jets until they can reliably run at least the current TR-2 software, a spokesman for the F-35 joint program office said recently.

On the call, Taiclet attributed the reduced deliveries to “software maturation, acceptance and certification related to the…TR-3 configuration and hardware delivery timing.”

“Our team remains fully dedicated to delivering the first TR-3 aircraft in 2023,” he said.

Each plane Lockheed cannot deliver this year will reduce 2023 revenues by about $7 million, though that money will come through once the planes are delivered, CFO Jay Malave said on the earnings call.

In April, Lockheed executives predicted that software problems would shrink 2023 F-35s deliveries, but they did not say how many fewer would be delivered.

On Tuesday, Taiclet said the company still plans to deliver 156 aircraft in 2025 and into the future.

“The supply chain and production system continues to execute at a rate to support these future year delivery targets,” he said.

Getting deliveries back on track remains the focus for executives.

“We and our suppliers are applying all the needed resources to this. It's a top priority for our company and a few others as well,” Taiclet said. “We're running extra shifts. And we're deploying subject matter experts into other companies [at] our suppliers operations to make sure this stays on track.”

Despite delivering fewer planes, the company still continues to build planes even if it can’t deliver them.

“The whole production system, especially the long-lead-time parts, are tracking through the supply chain,” Taiclet said.

This will be the third time in less than a year that F-35 deliveries have been halted. In September 2022, the Pentagon announced that it had temporarily halted F-35 deliveries after the discovery of a Chinese-sourced alloy had for years been used to make a key magnet in the fighter. Those deliveries resumed in October 2022 after the Pentagon decided the Chinese material did not pose a danger to security or flight safety and issued a waiver.

International orders for the F-35 continue to rise, with Finland, Switzerland, Germany and Greece the latest overseas customers.

Defense One:     Defense News:     Politico:     The Week:     Spokesman

 

If you like this website and use the comprehensive 6,500-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.

  • Individual £5 per month or £50 per year. Sign Up
  • Multi-User, Corporate & Library Accounts Available on Request

Cyber Security Intelligence: Captured Organised & Accessible

« US Intel Leaders “It’s time to be Data Serious”
Trains Are A Cyber Security Risk »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North Infosec Testing (North IT)

North IT (North Infosec Testing) are an award-winning provider of web, software, and application penetration testing.

The PC Support Group

The PC Support Group

A partnership with The PC Support Group delivers improved productivity, reduced costs and protects your business through exceptional IT, telecoms and cybersecurity services.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Authentic8

Authentic8

Authentic8 transforms how organizations secure and control the use of the web with Silo, its patented cloud browser.

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

SolarWinds

SolarWinds

SolarWinds as a worldwide leader in solutions for network and IT service management, application performance, and managed services.

Keyfactor

Keyfactor

Keyfactor is a leader in cloud-first PKI as-a-Service and crypto-agility solutions. Our Crypto-Agility Platform seamlessly orchestrates every key and certificate across the enterprise.

Ideagen

Ideagen

Ideagen provides information management, safety, risk and compliance software solutions that allow organisations to achieve operational excellence, regulatory compliance and reduce risk.

Fraugster

Fraugster

Fraugster provides the most precise anti-fraud solution for e-commerce businesses.

IT Security Jobs

IT Security Jobs

IT Security Jobs is a dedicated portal for everything related to IT professionals looking for IT Security jobs.

Sompo International

Sompo International

Sompo International is a global specialty provider of property and casualty insurance and reinsurance services including Cyber & Network Risk.

Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst

Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst

Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst helps Canadians and Canadian companies seize the opportunities and tackle the challenges of cybersecurity.

Let's Encrypt

Let's Encrypt

Let’s Encrypt is a free, automated, and open digital certificate authority, run for the public’s benefit. It is a service provided by the Internet Security Research Group (ISRG).

Matrium Technologies

Matrium Technologies

Matrium Technologies has been a leading provider of technology solutions since 1991, with a strong industry background in Network Testing, Network Visibility and Security.

Security Risk Management (SRM)

Security Risk Management (SRM)

SRM provide a comprehensive security risk management service encompassing people, processes, technology, governance, compliance and risk management.

Nemstar

Nemstar

Nemstar is a specialist in Information Security & Cyber Training with over 25 years' industry experience.

Privasee

Privasee

Make GDPR compliance simple with Privasee. Our software makes it easy to protect your data and ensure you’re compliant with the new regulations.

VP Techno Labs

VP Techno Labs

VP Techno Labs is an award-winning cybersecurity firm focusing only cybersecurity to develop cutting edge solutions for emerging business.

HIFENCE

HIFENCE

HIFENCE delivers cybersecurity and networking services that make your company safer and more secure. That’s all we do, so you can concentrate on all the things that you do best.

Halo Security

Halo Security

Halo Security is a fast, easy, and scalable external attack surface management platform that gives security leaders deep visibility into their internet-facing assets.