US Lifts F-35 Grounding, Hopeful Of Debut Appearance At Farnborough

The US DoD lifted the grounding order of the F-35 fighter after a three week old decision.

The fighter jet may make a debut appearance at the Farnborough airshow.

Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James, speaking at an event today at the US Pavilion, said, “An airworthiness board convened by the US Air Force and Navy on 14 Juy approved a return to flight order for the F-35 fleet,” FlightGlobal Reported.

The order includes certain limitations, including a new engine inspection interval and restricted flight envelope, James says as per the report. The restrictions will remain in place until the root cause of the fire is identified. “So we remain hopeful that the F-35 can come here to Farnborough.”

The return to flight comes three weeks after a fire erupted as an F-35A was on a take-off roll at Eglin AFB, Florida, forcing the pilot to abort the take-off attempt and exit the aircraft.