XBradTC

The internal weapons bay of the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter cannot fit the required Small Diameter Bomb II weapons load, and a hydraulic line and structural bracket must be redesigned and modified ahead of the planned Block 4 release in fiscal year 2022, the joint program office confirmed this week.

The Air Force and Raytheon plan to begin scaling up production of the 250-pound class, precision-attack munition, except the current F-35B internal weapons bay cannot fit four of the eight required SDB IIs in its current configuration.

The Marine Corps is purchasing 353 of the F-35B jump jets and 34 had been delivered as of Feb. 2, according to a fact sheet from prime contractor Lockheed Martin. JSF partners Italy and the United Kingdom are also procuring F-35Bs and three of those international orders have been satisfied.

via InsideDefense.com | Exclusive national security news from inside the Pentagon.

Here’s what I found interesting in the piece. The Marines have already received 10% of their planned F-35B fleet, and still haven’t reached IOC.

I get that the plane is a technologically very challenging project, and that it has the most extensive testing program in aviation history, but to have such a significant percentage of the planned by already delivered, and still not even have the bare bones baseline Block released is a tad disheartening.