F-35 (aircraft)

2023: Disruption of deliveries of new F-35 aircraft with TR-3 to the US Air Force

The American military-industrial corporation Lockheed Martin in June 2023 suspended the supply of new F-35s to the US Air Force due to the refusal of the Ministry of Defense to accept aircraft until the completion of technical tests. Deliveries may be delayed until at least December, and at least until April 2024.

As part of the Block 4 project, the Pentagon is updating hardware and software on the F-35 (Technology Refresh 3, TR-3). The main task of the TR-3 is to improve the capabilities of electronic warfare equipment installed on fighters.

Since August 2023, Lockheed Martin, according to the contract, is required to supply the Air Force with nine aircraft with TR-3 per month. However, the tests carried out in January of this year TR-3 revealed problems with the software - it must be completed, and there is no time for this. In the event that the delay in software development lasts until December, the Ministry of Defense will not receive 45 F-35s, if by April 2024 - 81 aircraft.

Despite the fact that Lockheed Martin promises to fix everything before December this year, the Ministry of Defense doubts this and is preparing for the worst. Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Research Executive Director Douglas Birkey warned that the disruption of F-35 c TR-3 supplies means a reduction in the capabilities of the US Air Force, which is very slow in numerous regional conflicts where the US has direct interest.

2022: World's first female F-35 fighter pilot crashes plane in first flight

In early February 2022, the first USA ever female pilot of the F-35 fighter in the first flight, which took place at the end of January 2022, crashed an aircraft worth $100 million. The incident was reported by the Daily Mail newspaper.

The published video material shows the moment the F-35C stealth fighter of the US Air Force fell on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. Military officials find out who leaked video frames to the Internet, which capture how a combat fighter worth $100 million flashes up and down the aircraft carrier and falls into the South China Sea. Leaked videos of personnel, according to the Daily Mail, captured on a mobile phone were displayed personnel observe the accident, the fighter can be seen approaching the flight deck.

At the beginning of February 2022, the US Air Force is conducting an investigation to find out how these personnel got on the Internet, where video materials were posted, in particular, on the Reddit website. The pilot ejected from the plane during the crash and was reportedly injured, as were six sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson.

Information that a woman was piloting this F-35S fighter was carried out by a woman, the Daily Mail was presented by one of the crew officers of the American aircraft carrier. He noted that despite the fact that the female pilot completed the full training course and successfully completed the training program for taking off and landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier, the current flight, which resulted in an emergency, was the first for her from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. In the posted video, the flight supervisor, observing the situation on the screen in real time, can be heard desperately trying to instruct the pilot, who made a mistake when landing. However, the woman never managed to level the fighter, which led to its impact on the deck and subsequent events. The pilot's name has not been released.^[1]

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