F-35 Crash in Texas Prompts US, Israel to Ground Part of Their Fleets
© Screenshot/CBS11Doug
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A US test pilot had a close call earlier this month after his Lockheed Martin F-35B touched down nose first on the runway at a US military base in Texas, and proceeded to spin wildly out of control, forcing him to eject. The F-35 program has taken heavy flak over its astronomical $1.7 trillion price tag, and hundreds of major and minor defects.
The US and Israeli militaries have grounded part of their F-35 fleets in response to the December 15 crash in Forth Worth, Texas.
In a statement to US media on Tuesday, the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office announced that some “higher risk F-35s” have been grounded until January to assure safety.
“The F-35 Joint Program Office has issued a Time Compliance Technical Directive (TCTD) to restrict some aircraft, which have been evaluated to be of a higher risk, form flight operations while the investigation into the mishap on December 15 continues and until procedures can be developed for their return to flight. The affected aircraft have been identified, and the JPO will work with the [US military] and [international] partners to ensure compliance with the TCTD,” the statement said.
The office did not specify which planes it considered “higher risk” and un-airworthy, whether the TCTD applied F-35Bs or all variants of the aircraft. The F-35 crash in Texas involved an F-35B, which is a short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the plane used by the US Marine Corps, as well as the British Royal Air Force and Navy. Italy, Singapore and South Korea also plan to order this particular model of the aircraft.
#Breaking New much clearer video, courtesy Kitt Wilder, of STOL variant F35 B model landing JRB Fort Worth, and pilot ejects. Condition of pilot still unknown. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/BeERIeyhtO
— Doug Dunbar (@cbs11doug) December 15, 2022
The UK has not grounded its F-35Bs in response to the incident. However, the Israeli Air Force announced this week that it had grounded eleven of its customized F-35I Adirs – F-35A variant aircraft which feature customized Israeli-made electronic warfare systems, sensors and countermeasures, and a custom main computer, in response to the Texas incident. The F-35A is a conventional takeoff and landing variant of the fighter.
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said that an initial review determined that its F-35s may be prone to the same malfunctions as the US F-35B that crashed in Texas. “The IAF will analyze the findings from the incident and draw conclusions and recommendations for the safe return of the aircraft to operational duty,” an IDF spokesperson said.
It’s not yet clear what caused the December 15 F-35B crash at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, situated near Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth manufacturing facility. The F-35B that crashed was brand spanking new, and had not yet been delivered to the military. It was being operated by a US Air Force pilot with the Defense Contract Management Agency. The pilot was testing the plane before its expected handover to make sure it was operating effectively.
A source told US media that the F-35 crash may have been the result of a faulty propulsion system tube used to transfer highly pressurized fuel.
9 December 2022, 16:22 GMT
The Fort Worth incident caused the second grounding of F-35s this year. In July, the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps grounded part of their fleets over concerns over a faulty component in planes’ ejection seats which threatened to render them flying deathtraps in an emergency.
Over 820 F-35s have been delivered to the US military and partner nations around the world. Over seven years after being deployed, the aircraft continue to suffer from a range of problems, from cost overruns, parts shortages and quality issues to outstanding problems with the aircraft’s design. In a report earlier this year, the US Government Accountability Office cited four major Category 1 deficiencies, including cabin overpressurization and problems with the night vision camera, and 822 Category 2 problems. Other issues, from fear of lightening to software bugs, radar issues, corrosion, and neck-breaking ejection seats, have plagued the aircraft for years.
Despite these issues, Lockheed continues to enjoy solid orders for its enfant terrible of a product. Earlier this month, the German parliament’s budget committee approved the spending of €10 billion to procure a party of 35 F-35As.
5 December 2022, 04:23 GMT
