“I’m getting tired of over-promising and under-delivering,” F-35 program head Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt said.
The newly-envisioned Block 4 would instead focus on delivering “‘must-have’ content,” Schmidt wrote, which will include an undefined “subset” of 88 capabilities originally approved as part of the Block 4 plan. “Reimagined Block 4 must consist of ‘what industry can actually deliver’ across the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP),” Schmidt wrote, and will likely consist of traits like enhanced electronic warfare and communications capabilities.
“I am as frustrated as you that I can’t nail down a specific date and be extremely clear about exactly when we will deliver,” F-35 Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt told lawmakers during a House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee hearing Tuesday.
The “best chance” the program has is to accept jets before TR-3 is fully finished, Schmidt said. Under this “truncated” plan, the Pentagon will receive jets loaded with an interim version of the TR-3 software.
