Crew chiefs assigned to the 33rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, perform a pre-flight check for an F-35A Lightning II aircraft at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, Feb. 13, 2023. U.S. Air Force / Senior Airman Joshua Hastings
EurAsian Times: Not Enough F-35s With The US To Fight A War; Lockheed Faces Huge Task Of Supplying Upgraded Jets
At a time when it is argued that US “Air Force readiness and capacity levels are at all-time lows” and American fighter pilots are flying fewer hours compared to their counterparts in China, the Pentagon and the US lawmakers are worried that Lockheed Martin is not meeting its contractual agreements to supply enough upgraded fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets.
Pentagon officials say that hardware for the Technology Refresh-3 upgrade is not being produced fast enough, and these shortages are slowing deliveries of the F-35’s latest upgrade, which, as a result, would cost “almost US$1 billion more than expected”.
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Lockheed Martin Facing A Problem To Deliver F-35s Due To A Shortage Of A ‘Handful Of Key Components’
Newest F-35s stalled by slow production of key parts — Defense News
Industry isn’t building enough parts for upgraded F-35s, DOD says — Defense One
Lockheed F-35’s Upgrade Overrun Risks Topping $1 Billion, Top Lawmaker Says — BNN Bloomberg
‘Handful of key components’ creates F-35 fighter jet shortage — Bulgarian Military
Wittman Criticizes F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Program Delays — USNI News