(Reuters) – U.S. weapons maker Lockheed Martin on Wednesday cut its delivery outlook for its F-35 jets, and delayed deliveries of its updated Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) jets.
Lockheed said in a filing it expects to deliver 97 aircraft in the year, down from its prior outlook of between 100 and 120 jets.
Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed added it expects to deliver its first TR-3 jet between April and June next year. The company previously forecast deliveries of its first TR-3 jet to be in 2023.
The Pentagon had also delayed final delivery acceptance for F-35 jets, leading to a payment delay of about $7 million per jet.
In July, the defense contractor had said completion of the software integration testing would likely cause delays to its TR-3 jet.
“The number of 2024 F-35 deliveries will depend on when the first TR-3 aircraft is delivered and the time needed to complete the customer’s acceptance process,” the company said.
(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
