U.S. grounds entire F-35 fleet pending engine inspections

[alp227]

Source: Reuters

The U.S. military said it had grounded the entire fleet of 97 Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jets until completion of additional inspections of the warplane's single engine built by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

The Pentagon's F-35 program office, Air Force and Navy issued directives on Thursday ordering the suspension of all F-35 flights after a June 23 fire on an Air Force F-35A jet at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, according to statements by the Pentagon and the F-35 program office.

The Pentagon said U.S. and industry officials had not pinpointed the cause of the fire, which occurred as a pilot was preparing for takeoff. The pilot was not injured.

The Pentagon said preparations were continuing for F-35 jets to participate in two UK air shows later this month, but a final decision would be made early next week. The fire has already derailed plans for an F-35 jet to fly by a naming ceremony for Britain's new aircraft carrier on Friday.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/04/us-lockheed-fighter-idUSKBN0F901T20140704

[delrem]

1. Well,

I hope this event doesn't leave the US vulnerable to attack from alien air-forces.
I constantly worry about US vulnerabilities so these reports give me hives.

On the other hand, I can count on no hands how many calamities that these super-power forces have actually averted. It's hard for me to believe that anyone buying one of these jets wouldn't know that they can be turned into bricks at the initiation of any one of a number of switches.

Here is what's essential: that every NATO nation buy into US war technology.

Got it?

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Wrong.

They have averted the calamity of many military-industrial complex officials merely being very wealthy. They are now very, very wealthy.

[Orsino]

6. Well, alien air forces can be taken down with a single laptop.

But that was a different movie.

[Rozlee]

3. An aircraft project that will wind up costing us $1.35 trillion over its lifetime.

And they can't even get it from the drafting table to the friendly skies. Bet these 'glitches' are just going to add to the tab in cost overruns.

[Personal Damon]

4. Ah, yes: That's the plane our Prime Minister is buying

And we have NO idea how much it's gonna cost us.

[hunter]

5. What a sad, sad, waste of human ingenuity and resources.

99% of the people working on it are there for the make-work, the paycheck. Less than 1% are there to skim off the profits.

We could be researching and building clean energy systems, renovating our cities to use less energy and provide comfortable safe housing for everyone, we could be building machines for space exploration... any number of positive things. But we waste so much on projects like this so a few amoral assholes can get filthy rich and powerful.