Lockheed and BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L), the fuel system software developer, have identified a fix and begun testing that software in their labs, Kent said.
BAE and Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N) are Lockheed's chief F-35 subcontractors. An alternate, interchangeable engine is being developed by a joint venture of General Electric Co (GE.N) and Britain's Rolls-Royce Group Plc (RR.L).
The United States is co-developing the F-35 with eight foreign partners -- Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Denmark and Norway. Together, the partners are projected to buy about 730 planes