Lockheed completes F-35 Block 3i fix; upgrades begin this week

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter prime contractor Lockheed Martin has completed the final JSF Block 3i software configuration needed to support the Air Force's initial operational capability declaration for the aircraft.

The F-35 joint program office announced the milestone in a press release today, noting it will begin upgrading the fleet with new Block 3i software this week. The software fixes have also been included in a new release of Block 2B software and will be integrated on 2B jets before the end of the month. All F-35 aircraft are expected to have the new software by the end of 2016.

"Concluding Block 2B and 3i development and testing now allows the F-35 program to focus on completing Block 3F -- the full warfighting capability software," the release states.

The 3i software is a key Air Force IOC requirement, and the program had been working to test and approve a fix to ongoing stability issues that required frequent re-boots -- every three to four hours -- of aircraft subsystems in flight. F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan told reporters last month the problem has been significantly reduced with re-boots now required approximately every 15 hours.

The JPO expects the Air Force's A-model jets will achieve IOC October, two months into the service's four-month window for meeting the operational milestone. The program has had difficulty completing the newest version of the F-35's Autonomic Logistics Information System, and the JPO currently predicts the release will be approximately 60 days late.