Lockheed Set to Resume F-35 Deliveries to Pentagon Next Week

Move could result in $700 million in payments to Lockheed
Jets will be retrofitted later so pilots can start training

South Korean Air Force F-35A stealth fighter jets, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp., perform maneuvers during the media day of the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, South Korea, on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023.Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg

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By Anthony Capaccio

July 11, 2024 at 4:31 PM UTC

Updated on

July 11, 2024 at 9:45 PM UTC

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The Pentagon will take deliveries of F-35 fighter jets again next week instead of continuing to wait for a delayed hardware and software upgrade, a decision that could bring $700 million to manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp. by the end of the year.

Officials decided that the Defense Department couldn’t wait any longer for the full TR-3 upgrade to complete testing given that jets were piling up on the tarmac at a Lockheed facility in Texas — where they might suffer weather damage — and pilots weren’t able to train on the aircraft.