Entire F-35 fleet grounded over engine issues - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times
Entire F-35 fleet grounded over engine issues
By Aaron Mehta - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 22, 2013 14:36:54 EST
ORLANDO, Fla. — The DoD has suspended all test flights for the entire F-35 joint strike fighter fleet due to engine problems.
The move comes nine days after the Pentagon cleared the F-35B jump-jet variant, designed for the Marines, to resume tests after a month long suspension. Both suspensions are due to problems with the engines.
Unlike the last suspension, which was only for the B variant, this suspension affects all three variants — the F-35A Air Force conventional takeoff version, the F35-B for the Marines, and the F35-C carrier variant for the Navy.