The entire fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters has been grounded, according to a new stand-down order by the Air Force. A major fault is found in the aircraft which risks pilots’ lives, according to a report.
Air Combat Command spokeswoman Alexi Worley confirmed the temporary standdown in an email to Breaking Defense. Worley underlined that ACC’s F-35s do have Martin-Baker ejection seats, and on July 19, began a Time Compliance Technical Directive to inspect all of the cartridges on the ejection seat within 90 days.
“Out of an abundance of caution, ACC units will execute a stand-down on July 29 to expedite the inspection process. Based on data gathered from those inspections, ACC will make a determination to resume operations,” she told Breaking Defense.
More to follow
