F-35 grounded to fix new software problem
"All flights in short take-off and vertical landing mode are also suspended after a post-flight inspection on the BF-1 flight test aircraft detected an "issue" with the auxiliary inlet door hinge located immediately aft of the lift fan.
Lockheed is still working to identify the root cause of the auxiliary inlet door hinge issue that has stopped all STOVL-mode tests.
The STOVL-capable F-35B has to complete at least 50 vertical landings to clear the flight envelope to launch a series of shipboard tests scheduled in March 2011. Completing shipboard testing is critical to meeting the US Marine Corp's plan to enter service with the F-35B in December 2012.
The software-based grounding and the STOVL restrictions mean the F-35B could fall further behind schedule with two years left to stand up the first operational unit for the USMC."
F-35 grounded to fix new software problem