The Fleet Readiness Heart East accomplished the conversion of its first F-35Bs from the TR-2 to the TR-3 configuration, which is able to assist the longer term Block 4 upgrades.
A serious milestone was reached for the F-35B Lightning II because the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Readiness Heart (FRC) East at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Level, North Carolina, accomplished the Know-how Refresh-3 (TR-3) improve on its first plane. The TR-3 lays the inspiration for the longer term upcoming Block 4 {hardware} upgrades.
Airframes BF-105 and BF-88 have been delivered on Might 14 and Might 21, whereas “BF-81 is projected to finish its conversion in July,” the Jun. 2, 2026, press launch from the F-35 Joint Program Workplace (JPO) mentioned. The picture of BF-105 capturing FRCE members standing earlier than it after the TR-3 upgrades present that the airframe is assigned to the Marine Fighter Assault Squadron-231 (VMFA-231) “Ace of Spades,” a part of the 2nd Marine Plane Wing’s (2nd MAW) constituent unit Marine Plane Group 14 (MAG 14).
The U.S. Marine Corps is the one U.S. service utilizing the F-35B and, together with the carrier-launched F-35C, operates a complete of 122 F-35s. Different international customers of the Brief Take Off and Vertical Touchdown (STOVL) variant of the F-35 embody the U.Okay., Italy and Japan. The discharge additionally talked about FCRE as amongst 4 different international depots for F-35 upkeep restore and modifications, which embody Hill AFB and Ogden in Utah, Cameri in Italy and Williamstown in Australia.
Leveling up the Lightning! ⚡️
The JPO has hit a serious milestone by starting the first-ever retrofits of operational F-35B Lightning II plane from the TR-2 to the superior TR-3 configuration.
This large {hardware} and software program improve equips the jets with a considerable enhance… pic.twitter.com/8rTN1GpD0b
— F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Workplace (@theF35JPO) June 3, 2026
The event comes shut on the heels of a delay within the TR-3 program for all of the three F-35 variants, seeing a stopgap less complicated model being rolled out till the technical points are fastened.
TR-3 work at FRCE
The Know-how Refresh 3 (TR-3) is the “spine” supporting the longer term Block 4 upgraded {hardware} overlaying 75 main programs. The most important and main improve is a robust AN/APG-85 radar changing the APG-81 as the first sensor, whereas others embody a brand new digital warfare suite, an improved Electro-Optical Monitoring System (EOTS), a brand new cockpit show, navigation and communication programs, and a next-generation Distributed Aperture System (DAS).
A brand new built-in core processor chip would supply the computing and fuse the info from these sensors. An Engine Core Improve (ECU) to the Pratt & Whitney F135 fifth technology supercruise engine in flip would produce the huge energy required for the Northrop Grumman APG-85 radar and the opposite electronics.
Materiel chief for F-35 mods/retrofits inside the F-35 JPO, U.S. Air Power Lt. Col. Matthew Hawkins, talked in regards to the large retrofit accelerating from the “700 plane already fielded […] yr after yr […] throughout the fleet,” with the preliminary conversions serving to refine the full-rate processes.
Hawkins touched upon the mammoth fast-paced work forward that helps the F-35’s tactical orientation. “The sooner we will improve jets, the extra succesful the warfighter will probably be. This isn’t simply an engineering milestone. It’s an operational one. TR-3 is what permits the F-35 to stay the quarterback of the battlespace within the subsequent decade,” he mentioned.
Engineered for dominance. ⚡
An F-35B Lightning II, hooked up to Marine Fighter Assault Squadron (VMFA) 121, prepares to take off from the flight deck of the America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7). pic.twitter.com/faPMYgLAqk
— F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Workplace (@theF35JPO) June 5, 2026
TR-3 Block 4 delays
Technical points with the TR-3 significantly delayed the F-35 program. This triggered a halt in deliveries from July 2023 to July 2024, seeing as much as 100-120 airframes piling up at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Fort Value, Texas. With the Pentagon, JPO and Lockheed Martin agreeing on a “truncated” model of the software program, deliveries resumed in 2024 and the corporate reported clearing the backlog by Might 2025.
The scaled-down variant, a mixture of TR-3 and TR-2 options that don’t have an effect on the plane’s security or airworthiness, nonetheless restricted the fullest extent of the plane’s high-end capabilities. Nonetheless, the current Director, Operational Take a look at and Analysis (DOT&E) report mentioned not one of the 158 TR-3 F-35s delivered to the U.S. providers delivered till September 2025 have been fight succesful jets, placing a query mark on the supply backlog cleared in Might 2025.
By the top of 2025, a complete of 191 F-35s had been delivered, with the report placing the general variety of Lightning IIs delivered to the U.S. providers at 812 plane (any configuration). Of those, a complete of 541 are F-35As.
Technical developmental points with the APG-85 radar had additionally reportedly led some F-35s getting into service and not using a radar put in. The Air Power’s FY 2027 finances requests $1.7 billion to retrofit 181 plane from the Lot 17 and prior with the APG-85.
F-35B engine works at FRCE
The FRCE has additionally reported different milestones involving the restore, overhaul and meeting of the F-35B’s distinct F135 engine with the carry fan and its intricately engineered elements through the years. In September 2023, the FRCE introduced the primary profitable meeting of the F-35B’s lift-fan clutch, turning into the primary inside the Division of Protection (DoD) to carry out this process exterior of the unique producer’s facility.
Made by Rolls-Royce for the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, the carry fan provides the F-35B its distinctive STOVL functionality. FRCE personnel revealed exhaustive theoretical and sensible coaching involving going over tens of hundreds of engineering drawings and blueprints, and finding out the manufacturing and meeting course of at Rolls-Royce LiftWorks facility in Indiana.
The FRCE then introduced in August 2025 the completion of the primary restore and overhaul of the F-35B’s three-bearing swivel module (3BSM). The 3BSM is a swiveling jet pipe that permits F-35B pilots to redirect engine thrust downward to create the rear vertical carry wanted for the STOVL operations.
The finished 3BSM marks the primary time the depot has returned this element to the F-35 international provide chain that helps U.S. forces and worldwide companions.
