Chickens starting to come home to roost - both for beginning series production before completing testing , which they were repeatedly warned against; and because of the escalating program cost.
It should be pointed out that the Block 2B software is that installed on all USMC F-35Bs delivered so far, declared as IOC, and operationally deployed - and which is now proposed will
never be upgraded to what is considered the basic operational standard......
US considers non-combat-rated subset of F-35 fleet
Scores of US-owned Lockheed Martin F-35s would remain in the fleet with a software operating system rated below combat-grade under one of several cost-saving proposals under review by the Joint Programme Office.
Scores of US-owned Lockheed Martin F-35s would remain in the fleet with a software operating system rated below combat-grade under one of several cost-saving proposals under review by the Joint Programme Office.
Delays during the development stage caused Lockheed to deliver more than 108 aircraft with Block 2B software. Each fighter requires 150-160 modifications to be raised to the combat-rated Block 3 standard, says Vice Adm Matt Winter, the F-35’s programme executive. The looming modification bills are threatening to suck resources from a looming production ramp-up with more than 900 aircraft projected for delivery over the next five years, Winter says. “We’re looking at solution spaces to give our warfighters options,” Winter says.
One of those options is to keep a subset of the F-35 fleet at the Block 2B software standard. It would follow a practice used on the Lockheed F-22 programme, which has about 30 fighters maintained at Block 20 for training missions and about 150 fighters using the go-to-war Block 30/35 standard.
Safety Experts: Some F-35 Ejections Pose ‘Serious’ Death Risk