US Marine F-35Bs Could Make Airshows, Even if UK Jets Do Not
WASHINGTON — The F-35 joint strike fighter fleet remains grounded, even as the deadline to make two major British air shows quickly approaches. The good news for supporters of the JSF: It may be possible for most of the fleet to stay grounded while a few planes attend what has been billed as a major showcase for the program.
Pentagon inspectors continue to review the technical data gathered in the wake of a June 23 fire that claimed an F-35A model at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. As part of that investigation the entire fleet of F-35 models was grounded last Thursday. However, the Marines may decide they have no concerns about their F-35B jump-jet models and allow the jets to travel overseas, a result of the complicated ownership issues that arise from having nine international partners and three US military services invested in the program.
“There are separate and distinct processes [for each partner], and they all involve different technical reviews,” Kyra Hawn, a spokeswoman for the F-35 joint program office, said. “As part of that, there is the possibility NAVAIR would allow for return to flight before the Air Force or the UK did depending how they analyze and accept that data and manage risk.” In other words, even if the United Kingdom or US Air Force says it is not ready to clear their F-35s, the Marines could still make the trip and fly at the airshows.
In theory, this could provide the easiest solution on how to get the F-35 to its appointments at the Royal International Air Tattoo this weekend or, more likely, next week’s Farnborough International Airshow. Originally, the plan involved flying over a mix of Marine and UK-owned B models to show off to international customers, but if the UK does not clear its models for flight those would be left behind in the US.
Getting UK flight worthiness is likely to take longer than from either of the US services, the result of far stricter rules than in America. In the UK, whoever signs off on air worthiness for an aircraft can be held personally responsible if an incident occurs. While the UK F-35B may not make the trip, the Marines could easily paint their jets with the UK’s colors and present just as much a spectacle while flying...............