Lockheed Martin expects F-35 tech upgrades to last through 2032

LONDON — After encountering delays in the F-35 upgrade known as Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3, the jet’s producer Lockheed Martin expects to complete its Block 4 modernizations by 2032 at the latest, according to senior company representatives.

“TR-3 is a new foundation to move forward Block 4 integration that started in 2018 and will continue until 2030 or 2032, so for another five to seven years,” Jim Post, the director of the manufacturer’s F-35 Partner Customer Program, told Defense News at the 2025 DSEI UK show in London.

The F-35’s hardware and software upgrade effort, known as Block 4 , is designed to boost the fighter jet’s weapons capabilities, sensors and sensor fusion. As of September 2025, it was at least $6 billion over budget and years behind schedule, which was partly due to delays with the implementation of TR-3.

“Block 4 means the aircraft’s evolution, and TR-3 makes the F-35 as much as 25 times faster. It gives the jet’s systems a much improved memory, and its tactical displays for pilots are capable of implementing all processes at a faster speed,” Post said.

As the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is struggling with cost overruns, manufacturing delays and supply chain bottlenecks, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a Sept. 3 statement the “program plans to reduce the scope of Block 4 to deliver capabilities to the warfighter at a more predictable pace than in the past.”

The delayed TR-3 which is critical to the Block 4 modernization effort “was the primary driver of late aircraft deliveries in 2024,” according to the GAO. Last year, Lockheed Martin “delivered 110 aircraft. All were late by an average of 238 days, up from 61 days in 2023.”

Under the plan, dedicated operational tests for the TR-3 upgrades are to begin in the U.S. in mid to late fiscal 2026, allowing to verify if the technology refresh is operationally effective.

Editor’s note: The story has been updated to clarify Lockheed Martin expects the Block 4 modernizations to be done by 2032.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

伦敦——据该公司高级代表称，由于F-35升级项目（称为技术更新3，或TR-3）遭遇延误，该战机的制造商洛克希德·马丁公司预计最迟将于2032年完成其Block 4现代化改造。

“TR-3 是推进 Block 4 集成的新基础，该集成始于 2018 年，并将持续到 2030 年或 2032 年，也就是再持续五到七年，”制造商 F-35 合作伙伴客户计划主管 Jim Post 在伦敦举行的 2025 年 DSEI 英国防务展上告诉《防务新闻》。

F-35的硬件和软件升级项目，即Block 4，旨在提升该战斗机的武器性能、传感器和传感器融合能力。截至2025年9月，该项目至少超支60亿美元，且进度落后数年，部分原因是TR-3实施的延误。

“Block 4 代表了飞机的升级，TR-3 使 F-35 的速度提升了 25 倍。它极大地增强了飞机系统的内存，其飞行员战术显示器能够以更快的速度执行所有操作，”波斯特说。

由于 F-35 联合攻击战斗机项目面临成本超支、制造延误和供应链瓶颈等问题，美国政府问责局在 9 月 3 日的一份声明中表示，“该项目计划缩小 Block 4 的范围，以便以比以往更可预测的速度向作战人员交付能力。”

据美国政府问责局 (GAO) 称，对 Block 4 现代化改造至关重要的 TR-3 的延误“是导致 2024 年飞机交付延迟的主要原因”。去年，洛克希德·马丁公司“交付了 110 架飞机。所有飞机平均延误 238 天，高于 2023 年的 61 天。”

根据该计划，TR-3 升级的专用运行测试将于 2026 财年中后期在美国开始，以便验证技术更新是否具有运行有效性。

编者按：本文已更新，以澄清洛克希德·马丁公司预计 Block 4 现代化改造将于 2032 年完成。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。