Deliveries of latest F-35 Lightning II engines, in addition to the trendy stealth plane itself, have been paused because the navy investigates what led a variant of the plane to crash on a runway in Texas final month.
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Workplace advised Army.com in an e-mail Thursday that, with some fashions of the plane being grounded following the Dec. 15 incident, it has paused supply of the fighter jets from manufacturing services. Moreover, protection contractor Pratt & Whitney — which makes the F135 engines for the jet — and the navy providers have agreed to cease engine deliveries throughout the upkeep inspections.
“Flight operations restrictions have been imposed in any respect F-35 Manufacturing services, which has had the impact of halting plane deliveries,” the F-35 Joint Program Workplace mentioned, including it has additionally delayed supply of F135 engines “till additional data from the investigation is thought and security of flight might be ensured.”
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Having deliveries of latest engines halted may very well be an indication of progress towards getting some fashions of the F-35 again within the air, based on Jeremiah Gertler, a senior affiliate with the Heart for Strategic and Worldwide Research assume tank in Washington, D.C., who focuses on aviation.
“Engine deliveries being stopped implies they’re checking to see whether it is an engine subject, or have recognized a difficulty and are engaged on a repair,” Gertler advised Army.com on Thursday.
The halt in deliveries comes three weeks after an F-35B Lightning II crashed throughout a vertical touchdown at a Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Price runway on Dec. 15.
Video footage posted on-line by CBS News’ Dallas-Fort Price station confirmed the F-35B making an attempt a vertical touchdown when, shortly after touching down, the plane’s nostril cone smashed into the bottom and the jet started to quickly spin.
The pilot ejected from the jet, based on the footage, and his parachute opened simply earlier than hitting the bottom.
The pilot, an Air Power main who had been doing efficiency high quality checks on behalf of the Protection Contract Administration Company, was launched from the hospital shortly after the crash and suffered solely minor accidents.
On Dec. 28, the F-35 Joint Program Workplace advised Army.com that some fashions of the F-35 had been grounded “whereas the investigation into the mishap on December 15 continues” however didn’t disclose numbers or another specifics.
Ann Stefanek, a Division of the Air Power spokesperson, advised Army.com on Dec. 30 that the service “presently has a small variety of F-35As that won’t fly” on account of directed grounding however didn’t present another specifics.
The Division of the Navy didn’t return a Dec. 30 request for remark asking what number of F-35s had been grounded by the Navy and Marine Corps following the Dec.15 crash.
Lockheed Martin, the contractor for the F-35 Lightning II, delivered 141 of the plane in 2022, based on a Dec. 30 press launch, which was simply shy of the 148 that the corporate was scheduled to ship. The groundings attributable to the Dec. 15 incident led to the shortfall.
“The F-35 crew was on monitor to satisfy the dedication of 148 plane as deliberate; nonetheless, on account of a short lived pause in flight operations, which remains to be in impact, obligatory acceptance flight assessments couldn’t be carried out,” Lockheed Martin mentioned in its assertion.
— Thomas Novelly might be reached at thomas.novelly@navy.com. Comply with him on Twitter @TomNovelly.
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