The Pentagon’s Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, William A LaPlante, formally approved the US-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program – the development project behind the F-35 Lightning II – to finally move into full-rate production (FRP), following the attainment of the type’s Milestone C landmark, writes Tom Kaminski.
This approval comes five years later than was originally expected and more than 20 years after the type first entered low-rate initial production (LRIP) process, during which more than 900 Lightning IIs (across the three different baseline variants) were produced. This landmark decision follows the Defense Acquisition Board’s review of the Director Operational Test and Evaluation’s (DOT&E’s) F-35 Combined Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) and Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E) Report. The JSF Operational Test Team (JOTT) began the IOT&E process in 2018.
The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) also recently confirmed that the Lightning II was now operationally certified to carry the B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb. Granted on October 12, 2023, this certification permits the F-35A to carry the B61-12 and officially makes the fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter a “dual-capable” aircraft that can deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons. The certification is limited to the B61-12 and does not extend to the F-35B/C variants, but F-35As operated by NATO allies (Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands) will all be certified to field the B61-12. Pictured is a USAF F-35A testbed carrying a pair of inert B61-12s in its internal weapons bays during a test mission.
