LINE

Text:AAAPrint
Military

Pentagon suspends all F-35 flights after crash

1
2018-10-12 08:02:21Xinhua Editor : Gu Liping ECNS App Download

The U.S. Department of Defense said Thursday it is suspending all F-35 fighter jet operations after an F-35B jet crashed last month.

"The U.S. Services and international partners have temporarily suspended F-35 flight operations while the enterprise conducts a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube within the engine on all F-35 aircraft," a statement from the F-35 program office said.

The statement said that if suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced, while aircraft with good tubes will resume flight.

The inspection is expected to complete within the next 24 to 48 hours, the statement said.

The suspension came after an F-35B jet crashed last month in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The incident marked the first time that an F-35 fighter jet, which costs more than 100 million U.S. dollars, had crashed.

The crash came one day after the first airstrike conducted by a U.S. F-35 fighter jet, and hours after the Pentagon announced that it had awarded Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of F-35, with a new batch of F-35s.

The F-35 stealth jet has three variants, F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C, designed for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, respectively. The F-35B is the only model with short-take off and vertical landing abilities.

  

Related news

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

News
Politics
Business
Society
Culture
Military
Sci-tech
Entertainment
Sports
Odd
Features
Biz
Economy
Travel
Travel News
Travel Types
Events
Food
Hotel
Bar & Club
Architecture
Gallery
Photo
CNS Photo
Video
Video
Learning Chinese
Learn About China
Social Chinese
Business Chinese
Buzz Words
Bilingual
Resources
ECNS Wire
Special Coverage
Infographics
Voices
LINE
Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2018 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.