The Pentagon has delayed plans to move the F-35 program to full-rate production because simulation testing that's needed before that can begin has been delayed until next year.

That testing phase was originally scheduled for 2017 but had been delayed to December of this year.

Now it's being moved back again because technical preparations aren't complete, and both testing and the production decision have been pushed to 2021, according to Jessica Maxwell, spokeswoman for Defense Department acquisition chief Ellen Lord.

"The F-35 JPO currently estimates that completion of Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) will not support a March 2021 date," Maxwell wrote in a statement sent to UPI, adding that the joint project office is working on an updated project schedule.

It isn't clear why the test schedule has been delayed again, but in April Lockheed said it expected lower sales and slower deliveries for several of its programs this year due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the F-35 program being particularly hard hit.

The company now estimates it will deliver 121 F-35s by the end of 2020.

That's 20 jets short of the 141 originally forecast this year, a shortfall Lockheed attributes to manufacturing slowdowns across the supply chain.

Air Force's 421st Fighter Squadron returns to U.S. base
Washington DC (UPI) Oct 27, 2020 –

Hundreds of the U.S. Air Force's 421st Fighter Squadron Airmen returned home Monday after deployment since May at a United Arab Emirates base.

The 421st Fighter Squadron departed Utah's Hill Air Force Base on May 20 to the Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE to support Central Command in the region, the Air Force said.

The deployment included Airmen from the active duty 388th and Reserve 419th Fighter Wings, flying F-35A aircraft, into combat to support the United States in the Middle East, the Air Force announced.

During the deployment, the 421st FS used the F-35A on close air support missions, performed offensive and defensive counter-air, and enabled regional deterrence through participating in joint exercises with national partners in the Middle East, according to the Air Force.

"We're all proud of the job that the 421st FS has done and we're excited to have them back home," Col. Steven Behmer, 388th Fighter Wing Commander, said in a statement. "They picked up right where our previously deployed squadrons left off. We'll continue to train here and remain focused on providing F-35A combat capability."

The deployment marked the the third time in 16 months that F-35As from Hill AFB were called into support a combat mission.

The Airmen will quarantine for 14 days as a precaution against any potential spread of COVID-19.

"We're extremely happy to welcome everyone home in time for the holiday season and look forward to seeing our folks reunited with their loved ones," Col. Matthew Fritz, 419th FW commander, said in the statement. "Deployments are always a challenge and each of our return deployers and their families deserve a pat on the back for a job well done."

The F-35A, which reached full warfighting capability at Hill AFB earlier this year, combines advanced stealth capabilities with the latest weapons technology, and the 388th and 419th are the first combat capable F-35A units, according to the Air Force.

The first operational F-35As arrived at Hill AFB in October 2015, and the base now has 78 F-35As.