Yes, but they have decided to uprate F135 rather than going for XA100 swap for Block 4. Looks like P&W lobby is stronger than GE lobby or just could be budget constraints?! Bad decision in any case
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning and F-22 'Raptor' : News & Discussion
- Thread starter Nick
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Pentagon Expected to Block New F-35 Deliveries
June 18, 2023The U.S. Dept. of Defense has not completed its testing of the new hardware and software implemented to enhance the fighter aircraft’s data-management capabilities – so it will decline accepting deliveries of the upgraded jets next month.
Robert Brooks
According to multiple reports the U.S. Dept. of Defense will stop taking deliveries of new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft next month, because those aircraft will be updated with the Tech Refresh 3 hardware and software intended to bring the jets up-to-date with current standards for data collection/recall, as well as displays. The explanation for the expected halt is that the new TR-3 hardware and software has not yet cleared the Pentagon’s testing and approval processes.
According to the Pentagon F-35 Joint Program Office: “As we reported to Congress in March, we still see risk of TR-3 delivery slipping until the December 2023-April 2024 timeframe. Delivering combat capable aircraft to our warfighters is our #1 priority and TR-3 provides the computational horsepower that ensures the F-35 remains superior to potential adversaries for decades to come,” spokesman Russ Goemaere stated.
Lockheed commented that its “team is fully dedicated to delivering TR-3 F-35 aircraft and will continue to work with the JPO on software development while maintaining the highest levels of safety and quality.”
The number of aircraft that may be affected is not known. Lockheed Martin, the lead contractor of the extensive F-35 program, delivered 141 aircraft during 2022.
An agreement at the end of last year authorized the F-35 program to produce 145 aircraft in 2023, including the first to incorporate the TR-3 updates.
The DoD reportedly will continue to accept deliveries of the previous generation.
The F-35 is a series of three, Stealth-enabled single-engine aircraft designed for ground attack and combat, and deployed by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps, and the defense forces of multiple allied nations. While program has been under steady scrutiny and criticism for the high cost of individual aircraft, and Lockheed and other contractors have made steady efforts to contain the costs for future deliveries.
DoD authorized Lockheed to implement the TR-3 upgrade in 2018, nominally in order to establish a modern network interface for the aircraft’s flight-control programs.
In addition to improving the data-management capabilities of the fighter aircraft, the TR-3 will be a technological framework for the F-35 forthcoming Block 4 update, which will be a new electronic warfare package as well as extra weapons for the aircraft. That ongoing development also is said to behind the official schedule.
* Rafale loses Brazil to Gripen E*
"We may be
*Rafale loses in Switzerland to F-35*
teaching you things
*Rafale loses in Finland to F-35*
you don't want to see. "
The F-35 has swept Europe and you choose to see nothing. the rest is just coping at this point. Sure you lose in Switzerland, but did you hear about how the TR-3 F-35's will be hangered temporarily? for those paying attention the Rafale losing publicly is not worth noting and easily explained away by crying "politique!" but the F-35 suffering a delay is somehow going to make up for that, as if such sad attempts at distracting from the obvious shortfalls of the Rafale were not obviously done out of desperation.
And have you noticed that when the F-35 no longer enjoys a huge political advantage, as in India or the United Arab Emirates, it's the Rafale that wins, and that the latter, despite the F-35, has managed to fill its order book for the next ten years? Is that what you call a desperate situation?
F-35 is sweeping Europe in sales versus Rafale because of political weight of Uncle Sam, plus it provides them the much vaunted American Umbrella against Rusky aggression.
Plane vs plane, Rafale is as good as it gets. Yes, it's can't compete with F-35 in terms of stealth, but then it was never designed to be VLO. In that regard, F-35 will always come out on top.
VLO is not an operational requirement, it's just a technical means of increasing survivability, and mission by mission, the Rafale is at least as survivable as the F-35, but with different characteristics.
Who told you? Have you done any on hand comparison analysis of both aircraft?
To expand on your post. Wiki counts 11 failures. It has failed more than sold. The F-35 hasn't lost a comp yet. US have also rejected countries wanting to buy the F-35.
Dassault Rafale - Wikipedia
That article is also misleading. LM has another 50 TR2 to build. They aren't going to build 50 in the next month. Before TR3 are being stored, till the testing is complete. At this stage, before end of the year or possibly 1st quarter 2024, production doesn't stop. If you do the maths, it's not that many, or that long.
Counter question: Name one area except passive stealth where F-35 is ahead of Rafale substantially? In fact, there are various area where Rafale is clearly ahead of F-35 like kinematics, weapons load etc.
You are saying all this because @Picdelamirand-oil said so. You didn't do any physical comparison analysis of both aircraft. But there are many countries did, almost all decided to go for F35.
Except France, India, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Croatia, Greece, Indonesia and soon Serbia, Iraq and Colombia, and maybe even Saudi Arabia.
Rafale is ahead of F-35 in kinematics and weapons load, it's very obvious genius, based upon open source unclassified info! Most of the Euro countries are going for F-35 because of:
1. VLO airframe.
2. US factor.
Rest, Rafale is just a more versatile, reliable and game-changing bird than F-35.
A large Saudi delegation in front of the Dassault stand at the Paris Air Show.
Air Force program for new F-35 missile will knock out at least one prime in FY24 - Breaking Defense
Air Force’s Stand-in Attack Weapon (SiAW) program has funded prototyping work with three short-term contracts first issued last year to Lockheed Martin, L3Harris and Northrop Grumman.
Photo shows F-35A fitted with two externally mounted Joint Strike Missiles
Last week the Norwegian Crown Prince visited Lockheed Martin’s Ft Worth facility as part of an effort to promote Norwegian industry within the
theaviationist.com
