Belgium will not accept two F-35A fighter jets that would be delivered by the American Lockheed Martin manufacturer at the end of this year because of a delay in the introduction of new software and screens.
Belgium purchased 34 F-35A aircraft from Lockheed Martin, which are currently in production. The first units will be on the final assembly line in the coming weeks; according to the current schedule, production of the first two "Belgian" F-35As will be completed in December 2023, VRT reports.
The Federal Government hoped to receive the first two aircraft with a celebration at the end of the year, but it looks like that will not be the case: the delivery of the first two Belgian aircraft at Luke Air Force Base (Phoenix, Arizona) is expected to be delayed by six months.
"Based on the current schedule, the hardware will be ready by December 2023," said the Defence Ministry. "The certification and qualification of the software and the final delivery of the aircraft depend on the results of the test campaign and are currently estimated for the second quarter of 2024."
Hardware and software upgrades
This also means that the training of the Belgian pilots (in the US) will start later than planned. It still remains to be seen how quickly Lockheed Martin will solve the problems, because the readiness of the Belgian air force will have to be adjusted in the event of further delays.
"If the delay is limited to a few months, it will have little or no impact on the eventual gradual operational build-up (Initial Operational Capability by 2027 and Full Operational Capability around 2030)," the Ministry said.
Belgium's contract with the US stipulates that, as for all other countries, the F-35s must be delivered in the latest and most modern configuration available. Currently, the F-35A is undergoing a major hardware and software upgrade: key computers and screens are being replaced to implement a range of new capabilities on the F-35A: new weapons and improved electronic warfare, among other things.
According to the Defence Ministry, "this upgrade is known as "Tech Refresh 3 (or also called TR-3)" and the new capabilities come under the heading "Block 4 (upgrade)." These make the aircraft "significantly more capable of handling today's modern ground and air threats, both offensive and defensive."
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Any major upgrade is accompanied by a significant certification and qualification effort, requiring extensive test campaigns of more than 200 test flights – which is where the issue lies. Although new aircraft production is (finally) on schedule, there are some delays with the certification, which leads to aircraft that are not homologated.
"Specifically, the US Government's refusal means that the certification and qualification process is still ongoing and that the US Government does not wish to accept (and thus pay for) hardware until the software is also fully completed," the Defence Ministry explained. "This is a perfectly logical decision that also applies to Belgium."
The ministry pointed out that if the delays can be limited, Belgium will have the benefit "of a unified fleet equipped with the latest Tech Refresh 3 hardware. Indeed, this will not only ensure access to new Block 4 capabilities but also avoid a later costly retrofit of many months."
