“The technical air worthiness authorities of the Department of the Air Force and Department of the Navy have issued a directive to ground the F-35 fleet based on initial findings from the runway fire incident that occurred at Eglin Air Force Base on Monday, June 23. The root cause of the incident remains under investigation”, according to the Pentagon.
On July 3, 2014 Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby issued the following statement concerning the grounding of the Air Force and Navy’s F-35 fleets. Apparently the problem is in engine design.
According to various reports the “engine caught fire while the aircraft was on the ground.”
What follows is the press statement as issued by the Pentagon:
“The technical air worthiness authorities of the Department of the Air Force and Department of the Navy have issued a directive to ground the *F-35 fleet based on initial findings from the runway fire incident that occurred at **Eglin Air Force Base on Monday, June 23, 2014.
The root cause of the incident remains under investigation. Additional inspections of F-35 engines have been ordered, and return to flight will be determined based on inspection results and analysis of engineering data.
Defense Department leadership supports this prudent approach. Preparations continue for F-35 participation in international air shows in the United Kingdom, however a final decision will come early next week.”
Source: DOD http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=16815
F-35 helmet-mounted display system…
NOTE:
*The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth-generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability. The F-35 has three main models; the F-35A is a conventional takeoff and landing variant, the F-35B is a short take-off and vertical-landing variant, and the F-35C is a carrier-based variant. The F-35 is descended from the X-35, the product of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. It is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin. Other major F-35 industry partners includeNorthrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney and BAE Systems.
The F-35 took its first flight on 15 December 2006. The United States plans to buy 2,443 aircraft. The F-35 variants are intended to provide the bulk of its manned tactical airpower for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy over the coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are to be completed in 2037…
Unit cost per plane is in excess of $142.6 million dollars.
**Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) (IATA: VPS, ICAO: KVPS, FAA LID: VPS) is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles (5 kilometers) southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 96 TW is the test and evaluation center for Air Force air-delivered weapons, navigation and guidance systems, Command and Control systems, and Air Force Special Operations Command systems.
See video: Pentagon grounds F-35 amid problems http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETRzfnk4WU and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vIs747XkuM
See video: US Air force can’t fly F-35 during Lightening storm Russian Air Force thinks that is funny! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MECilWkJ4IU
See related video: F-35 fighter catches fire during takeoff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhpFLbLdXbU
See video: Pentagon grounds F-35 due to engine issues http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPSk4H5mQ3o
See video: F-35 the jet that ate the Pentagon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJoGDpRQBOw
See video: Russian Sukhoi PAK FA fighter better than F-35 Why we should be worried http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J38eKcQWimk
See video: $1 trillion dollar F-35 grounded? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQmsLK2hMz8
See video: F-35 is a LEMON http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh2Gnxa_fTw
See video: Russian 1950’s MIG -21 can kill a F-35 in dog fight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqjjHDGWm4QSee video: F-35 unable to escape radar detection- Shhhh! Aviation week expose http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnNQROmpU5g
See video: F-35 stealth aircraft ‘one of the worst planes we’ve ever designed’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idVY2KumIcA
See video: Building the F-35 full documentary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPvzEr33maM