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US to Continue Grounding F-35 Jets in Arizona Over Oxygen Supply Issues

© Samuel King Jr./ for U.S. Air ForceAn F-35 being refueled at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
An F-35 being refueled at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. - Sputnik International
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Every F-35 fighter flights at US Luke Air Force Base continue to be suspended because of problems with the aircrafts’ air supply systems.

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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — All F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter flights at Luke Air Force Base in the US state of Arizona continue to be suspended because of problems with the aircrafts’ air supply systems, a spokeswoman for the base Maj. Rebecca Heyse said on Monday.

"The 56th Fighter Wing will continue their pause in local F-35A flying to coordinate analysis and communication between pilots, maintainers, medical professionals and a team of military and industry experts," Heyse said in a statement as quoted by DoD Buzz.

On Friday, the US Air Force was forced to halt flights of the 55 F-35 fighter jets after five pilots suffered oxygen deprivation.

US jets had previously been grounded in September 2016 as fight operations had to be suspended after a discovery that electrical lines in their fuel tanks had cracked.

The F-35 program is scheduled to cost more than $1 trillion, making it the most expensive aircraft and weapons program in history and the plane has been repeatedly dogged by systems breakdowns and failures.

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