Lockheed Martin has received funding to prepare Block 4 upgrades for the F-35A, F-35B and F-35C fifth-generation fighters

Lockheed Martin has received funding to prepare for the Block 4 upgrade. This is a critical upgrade that will define the role of the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters.

Here's What We Know

The funding amount will not exceed $100 million. The new agreement is a modification to the previous contract (N0001923C0009). The deadline for performance is March 2026. Work will take place at Lockheed Martin facilities in Maryland, New Hampshire, Texas, California, Florida, New York and Arizona.

The Block 4 upgrade will be for all versions of the fifth-generation fighter: the F-35A, F-35B and F-35C. Lockheed Martin is upgrading the F-35s of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps, along with aircraft from allied nations.

The US Department of Defence is keeping secret the major innovations that will appear in Block 4. However, we do know that the modernisation will focus on electronic warfare capabilities. Before that, F-35s must undergo Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrade, which will multiply the memory and processing power.

However, Lockheed Martin has had problems with the TR-3. Since July, the Pentagon has stopped deliveries of the fifth-generation fighter. The company updated its estimate and said that deliveries will not resume until the second quarter of 2024 at the earliest. This could delay payments by almost $1bn.

Source: Pentagon