3:16 PM, Aug. 16, 2011 |
The fleets of the Air Force’s two most advanced jet fighters are grounded due to mechanical problems.
The
F-22 Raptor fleet has been grounded since May 3 for problems with its
onboard oxygen generation system. The system is suspected as the cause
of a fatal F-22 crash that occurred last year near Anchorage, Alaska.
During other F-22 incidents, pilots experienced hypoxia, a lack of oxygen, while performing maneuvers at high altitude.
Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City is the F-22 training base.
On
Aug. 2, the Air Force grounded its fleet of 20 F-35 Lightning II
fighters due to a major problem with the aircraft’s integrated power
package – a combined engine starter, environmental control unit and
back-up power generator.
A valve in the unit malfunctioned
during a ground test, causing what an F-35 program official described
as an “explosive event.”
The F-35 is a multirole fighter
and attack aircraft that will be used by the Air Force, Navy and Marine
Corps, as well as several foreign militaries.
Eglin will
be a primary training center for F-35 flight crew and maintenance
personnel. The base received its first two F-35 aircraft in July.
The F-35 and F-22 are both manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
Pensacola Times
(and we are depending on the F-35 to protect Canada.....!!)
Update as of August 21...
F-35 still grounded
The test fleet of
F-35 Lightning II aircraft was cleared to fly Thursday, but production
aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base remained grounded.
The
Air Force grounded its fleet of 20 F-35 fighters on Aug. 2 due to a
major problem with the aircraft's integrated power package.
The
unit malfunctioned during a ground run with a test aircraft, causing
what a F-35 program official called an "explosive event."
The
complex package combines the aircraft's engine starter, environmental
control unit and back-up power generator into a single unit.
An
engineering team determined that flight test operations could resume
with test aircraft after reviewing data from ground and flight tests.
The
fleet of production aircraft, which lack sophisticated flight test
instrumentation, will remain grounded until an investigation into the
failure is completed and required corrective actions are taken, Pentagon
officials said Thursday.
The F-22 Raptor fleet has been grounded since May 3 for problems with its onboard oxygen generation system. The system is suspected as the cause of a fatal F-22 crash that occurred last year near Anchorage, Alaska.
During other F-22 incidents, pilots experienced hypoxia, a lack of oxygen, while performing maneuvers at high altitude.
Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City is the F-22 training base.
On Aug. 2, the Air Force grounded its fleet of 20 F-35 Lightning II fighters due to a major problem with the aircraft’s integrated power package – a combined engine starter, environmental control unit and back-up power generator.
A valve in the unit malfunctioned during a ground test, causing what an F-35 program official described as an “explosive event.”
The F-35 is a multirole fighter and attack aircraft that will be used by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as several foreign militaries.
Eglin will be a primary training center for F-35 flight crew and maintenance personnel. The base received its first two F-35 aircraft in July.
The F-35 and F-22 are both manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
Pensacola Times
(and we are depending on the F-35 to protect Canada.....!!)
Update as of August 21...
F-35 still grounded
The test fleet of F-35 Lightning II aircraft was cleared to fly Thursday, but production aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base remained grounded.The Air Force grounded its fleet of 20 F-35 fighters on Aug. 2 due to a major problem with the aircraft's integrated power package.
The unit malfunctioned during a ground run with a test aircraft, causing what a F-35 program official called an "explosive event."
The complex package combines the aircraft's engine starter, environmental control unit and back-up power generator into a single unit.
An engineering team determined that flight test operations could resume with test aircraft after reviewing data from ground and flight tests.
The fleet of production aircraft, which lack sophisticated flight test instrumentation, will remain grounded until an investigation into the failure is completed and required corrective actions are taken, Pentagon officials said Thursday.
