BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: F-35 Development Inches Closer To Finish Line.

The first operational U.S. Air Force F-35 squadron is set to receive its initial aircraft configured with a version of the long-awaited Block 3F software in September. But the event, while a sign of progress toward the end of the F-35’s lengthy development phase, is mostly symbolic. The 34th Fighter Sqdn., known as the “Rude Rams,” of Hill AFB, Utah, will receive F-35 aircraft equipped with an initial release of 3F, but not the final updates that are still under test, according to service spokesman Capt. Mark Graff.

This means the aircraft will have all the capabilities of 3F but be restricted to the more limited 3i flight envelope and weapons the squadrons are currently flying, Graff says.

Even at 3i the F-35 performed very well at Red Flag earlier this year, but given events in Korea and elsewhere, getting to 3F is looking like a real nail-biter.