Lockheed delivered record 191 F-35s as it cleared out TR-3 backlog

Lockheed Martin delivered 191 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters last year, according to the company, the highest yearly amount in the program’s history, as the major defense contractor worked to clear out a backlog of previously undelivered jets . The total far surpassed the previous record of 142 F-35s for 2021. It follows two slower years for F-35 deliveries — 98 in 2023 and 110 in 2024 — that were due to the Defense Department decision to stop accepting new F-35s because of problems with Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3, updates.

Over that three-year span, Lockheed delivered an average of 133 F-35s each year. TR-3 upgrades provide better displays, computer memory and processing power. The package’s hardware and software updates were necessary before a more expansive modernization, known as Block