In January of this year, a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II conducted the first flight while running the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) configuration in the skies over Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California. Since then, the aerospace giant has pressed forward with the software/hardware upgrade for the fifth-generation stealth fighter.

It was only this summer that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) agreed to begin accepting F-35s from the aerospace giant after it paused the deliveries while the TR-3 upgrade was being finalized. Lockheed Martin has released a "truncated" version, which the Pentagon has accepted until TR-3 is completed later this year. It now seems that the company is getting closer, and delivered a "robust" version last month to the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO).

Although it isn't yet "combat-capable," the latest build of the TR-3 includes "updates to displays, added computer memory, and increased processing power," the JPO told international military analytics firm Janes.

Lockheed Martin and the JPO reached an agreement for the delivery of the TR-3-enabled aircraft with the robust training capability, but as previously reported the Pentagon is withholding $5 million for every single jet until the TR-3 is finalized.

Lockheed Martin and its industry partners are making significant investments in development labs and digital infrastructure that benefit the F-35 enterprise's speed and agility in fielding capabilities to the most advanced and connected fighter jet," Lockheed Martin and JPO said in a joint statement.

There have been more than 100 F-35s still in storage as of this summer awaiting delivery with the truncated TR-3 at Lockheed Martin's facilities in Fort Worth, Texas. Even as the first two have been delivered, it would take nearly a year to clear out the backlog of F-35s, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report warned.

More Than a System Patch

It would be easy to assume that the TR-3 is like a computer or mobile phone patch, but it is far more than even a major software upgrade. As noted it includes updates, added memory, and increased processing power – but all of that is necessary for the Block 4 version of the F-35, which will greatly enhance the capabilities of the aircraft.

According to the JPO, TR-3 provides "the computational horsepower to support modernized Block 4 capabilities for the F-35 including: new sensor suites, more long-range precision weapons, improved electronic warfare features, more powerful data fusion, and increased cross-platform interoperability. These capabilities provide the warfighter a combat-edge to identify, track, engage, and survive against advanced air, ground, and cyber threats. TR-3 significantly updates core processing power and memory capacity, which will allow the F-35 to run advanced software packed with state-of-the-art warfighting capabilities."

Stavros Atlamazoglou, writing for The National Interest, further explained that the TR-3 "will upgrade the F-35’s onboard digital infrastructure, improving its data storage and processing capabilities; and improve the user interface, thus making the pilot's life easier. The new software will also enable the stealth fighter jet to carry new air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, sensors, and cyber countermeasures."

Atlamazoglou added, "Complicating matters even further is the fact that the upcoming Block 4 upgrade needs the TR-3 as a software upgrade as a base."

As it currently stands, the TR-3 will be completed by early next year. Lockheed Martin also received a new $5 billion contract to cover "a range of F-35-related items such a simulators and training devices, sustainment, engineering, materiel support supplies, repair capabilities and equipment for depots," Air & Space Forces magazine also reported.

The Pentagon clearly hasn't lost faith in the F-35, even if its largest update is taking longer than expected to arrive.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].