The Pentagon grounded the global fleet of F-35 stealth fighters on Thursday, as a result of the first ever crash of the plane.
A Marine Corps F-35B was completely destroyed in a crash during training in South Carolina on September 28. The pilot ejected safely.
According to Joe DellaVedova, a spokesman for the F-35 programme, the US and its international partners — including Britain and Israel — have temporarily suspended F-35 flight operations for a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube within the engine on all F-35 aircraft.
“The action to perform the inspection is driven from initial data from the ongoing investigation of the F-35B that crashed in the vicinity of Beaufort, South Carolina,” DellaVedova said.
He added that suspect fuel tubes would be removed and replaced. If good tubes are already installed, then those planes would be returned to operational status. Inspections were expected to be completed within the next 24 to 48 hours.
The South Carolina crash came only one day after the US military first used the F-35 in combat, when Marine Corps fighters hit Taliban targets in Afghanistan. “The primary goal following any mishap is the prevention of future incidents,” DellaVedova said.
