SLXOwft

Forbes reports Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) will be retrofitted to Lot-10 on and TR-3 will allow upgrade to Block-4.
....
The retrofits require about 14 days of downtime and will be performed by Lockheed field teams during scheduled maintenance.

The UK had 15 of the current 29 aircraft delivered up to lot 9. So 14 of the currently delivered fleet plus those on order would appear to be eligible. (The lost one was the 18th for the UK)

Flugzeug A

Thanks SLX’.
50% of the aircraft we’ve got up to now can’t be upgraded.
A projected fleet of 74 but only 59 of them will be to full spec’.
I assume the 3 in the ‘States will be replaced by the latest version & that those 3 older aircraft will come to the UK, so that’s 56 with the latest toys.
I am an interested UK taxpayer.
OUCH....

Asturias56

"so that’s 56 with the latest toys"

That assumes we complete the buy - as time drags on the risks of continued deferral seem to increase

henra

That's obviously not really ideal for the users especially of smaller fleeets. But it is kind of normal with the current crop of highly IT-packed fighters. Typhoon had this same issue with Tranche 1.
Sometimes the installed Hardware sets limits to Electronic devices which can't be easily overcome. Especially in a fighter that will be produced over decades this will not be the last such incompatibility.
The alternative would be to compromise the magnitude of the continued development steps. I think they are doing the right thing.

Asturias56

The F-35 first flew in 2006 - the technology moves on at an ever faster pace.

I suppose one answer is to buy them in large lots - then of course they all are easier to maintain but then they ALL become obsolescent to some degree every time there is an upgrade.

what is a killer is to have say 35 aircraft with 6 different fits............. they're effectively all one-offs

SpazSinbad

F-35 Conducts First Flight with TR-3 11 Jan 2023
ttps://www.dvidshub.net/news/436507/f-35-conducts-first-flight-with-tr-3