(Adds Air Force quotes, details, background)
RAF FAIRFORD, England, July 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Forcesaid on Thursday it expected to declare an initial squadron ofLockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets ready for combatin coming months, as planned, underscoring the growing maturityof the Pentagon's biggest weapons program.
General Hawk Carlisle, commander of U.S. Air Force CombatCommand, said preparations for the declaration were going "exceptionally well," and a decision should be announced soon.
He said he hoped to certify an "initial operationalcapability" or IOC of F-35 jets at the early end or "leadingedge" of an August-to-December time frame set by the Air Forceseveral years ago. He declined to say if the move would happenby Aug. 1, the target set by the Pentagon's F-35 chief.
He said delays in completion of the latest software for theF-35's computerized logistic system were "not a limiting factor"in his decision, since the current software worked during arecent test deployment from one Air Force base to another.
The new software package for the jet's Autonomic LogisticsInformation System, or ALIS, is now expected to be completed inOctober or November, instead of August as expected, but Carlislesaid the current version was sufficient to support a deployment.
"There's nothing really red that's really limited us atall," Carlisle told reporters, referring to the U.S. military'spractice of using traffic-light symbols to help evaluate risksto programs. "I'm very confident in this airplane, and wherewe're heading," he added.
Carlisle, speaking on the eve of the Royal International AirTattoo, the world's largest military air show, said he waspleased by the aircraft's performance during a deployment to thesecond air base. The jets carried out all 88 missions plannedduring the deployment, he said.
Jeff Babione, Lockheed's F-35 programme manager, said thedecision was up to the Air Force, but Lockheed had delivered theairplanes required for the first operational squadron.
The U.S. Marine Corps declared its first squadron ofradar-evading F-35 fighter jets ready for combat a year ago.
Carlisle said the IOC declaration meant the Air Force coulduse the jets for combat deployments to the Middle East orelsewhere if needed.
He said the Air Force planned to continue rotating its F-22fighter jets and other assets, including the F-35 fighter jet,through Europe. An initial deployment for the F-35 was likelyplanned in fiscal 2017, he said. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Susan Fenton and PeterCooney)