Lockheed Martin reported that more than 100 of the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft were delivered during 2024, fulfilling its estimated delivery rate of 90-110 jets for the calendar year. That target had been revised upward from 90-110 aircraft last summer after a yearlong hold on deliveries was lifted by the U.S. Dept. of Defense.
Reports estimate that Lockheed and the expansive F-35 supplier program that it heads are delivering about 20 new F-35 jets per month. The program has completed more than 1,000 jets since the program started full-rate production in 2006.
The F-35 is a series of fighter jets deployed for ground attack and combat, and available in three variants – for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and for the defense forces of more than a dozen other nations.
It is by far the largest and most expensive U.S. defense program, with hundreds of program participants and suppliers. The jets’ reported unit costs range from $82.5 million for the F-35A, to $109 million for the F-35B, to $102.1 million for the F-35C.
Last month the Department placed a new contract modification worth $11.76 billion to deliver a total of 145 aircraft in the Lot 18 production series, to be completed by June 2027.
The Pentagon stopped accepting deliveries of new aircraft in July 2023, explaining that the aircraft had been built and outfitted with hardware suited to the Technical Refresh 3 initiative, though TR-3 software had not yet been approved. TR-3 is a package of advanced software, improved data-processing capabilities, greater computer memory, and enhanced graphical displays that will be installed across the F-35 fleet in expectation of an upcoming Block 4 upgrade to the aircraft, to advance electronic warfare capabilities.
As a result of the hold on deliveries, Lockheed accumulated a backlog of completed F-35 aircraft with TR-3 hardware capabilities.
In June 2024, the DoD’s F-35 Joint Program Office lifted the hold on deliveries, allowing that a preliminary version of TR-3 software was acceptable for service.
