Military Grounds Entire Fleet Of F-35 Stealth Fighter Jets

In this image released by the U.S. Navy courtesy of Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Navy variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35C, conducts a test flight

The United States military announced that they are grounding their entire fleet of F-35 stealth fighter jets. The drastic decision comes just two weeks after one of the jets crashed during a training mission in South Carolina. 

The Pentagon said that all 280 F-35's currently in service will be checked for faulty fuel tubes before they will be able to fly again. Currently, only half of those aircraft are capable of flying. 

"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," said Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office.

Officials said that if a jet does not have the faulty fuel tube, it will immediately be cleared to fly, while any F-35 with the fuel tubes will need to have them replaced. They expect the inspections to be done within two days. 

Photo: Getty Images


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