F-35 Fighter Jets with US, Allies Grounded following Fuel-tube Problem

Operations of F-35 fighter jet belonging to United States forces and international partners have been temporarily suspended pending a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube within the engine of the aircraft, the F-35 Joint Program Office announced Thursday.

If suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced. If known good fuel tubes are already installed, then those aircraft will be returned to flight status. Inspections are expected to be completed within the next 24 to 48 hours, the announcement said.

The grounding is driven from initial data from the ongoing investigation of the F-35B that crashed in the vicinity of Beaufort, South Carolina on 28 September. The aircraft mishap board is continuing its work and the U.S. Marine Corps will provide additional information when it becomes available.

The primary goal following any mishap is the prevention of future incidents. We will take every measure to ensure safe operations while we deliver, sustain and modernize the F-35 for the warfighter and our defense partners.

Israel says it has grounded all of its F-35 stealth fighter jets after the aircraft’s engine fuel tubes were suspected to be the cause of a September crash in the US in which the jet was completely destroyed.

The spokesperson said all the planes in the Israeli fleet will be tested even though no failure has been reported. “The test will take several days. After all checks are complete, the planes will return to full operation.”

The UK has decided to pause some F-35 flying as a precautionary measure while we consider the findings of an ongoing enquiry, a UK MOD spokesperson said.

However, F-35 flight trials from the aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, are continuing and the programme remains on schedule. “We will continue to review the situation as further information becomes available,” the spokesperson said.