Tri-Service
F-35 Jets Grounded Due To Fault In Cooling Systems
The US Air Force has announced it is grounding 15 F-35 fighter jets over cooling line problems.
The $400 billion planes were declared ready for combat less than two months ago and there are concerns the problem will have implications for the UK.
The Royal Air Force expects to take delivery of 138 of its own F35s in 2018, although current plans are to buy the F35 B rather than the F35A the Americans have.
The $1.5 trillion project has been beset by problems, so the news of a fault with the cooling system inside the plane’s fuel tanks is ringing alarm bells.
The American decision to ground the planes is not fleet-wide which suggests this is not a systemic issue, but in fact a niche problem affecting a comparatively small number of aircraft
Lead Manufacturer Lockheed Martin confirmed this is a local supply chain manufacturing issue. In a statement a Spokesperson said:
“It will likely require depot-level maintenance to address the corrective actions for the 15 jets in the field. The U.S. Government and Industry engineering teams are analyzing the best approach to resolve this issue""Safety is always our first consideration and Lockheed Martin is committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible to return jets to flying status.”
This latest trouble with the F35's may not directly affect the British order, but the level of interest demonstrates the importance of this high-profile plane to UK Defence.
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