Military Times: The U.S. military discovered a problem with the ejection seats used across its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet in April, but waited three months to ground those aircraft flown by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps to fully investigate the issue, multiple sources told Air Force Times Friday.
Officials initially saw the problem as a potentially isolated incident. But an ongoing investigation sourced the issue to the production line, prompting waves of temporary stand-downs this week.
“During a routine maintenance inspection at Hill [Air Force Base, Utah,] in April ‘22, an anomaly was discovered with one of the seat cartridge actuated devices in the F-35 seat,” Steve Roberts, a spokesperson for seat manufacturer Martin-Baker, said Friday. “This was quickly traced back to a gap in the manufacturing process, which was addressed and changed.” more here h/t Brad.
‘Scuse me while I adjust my tin-foil hat, but this one smells like a Chinese prompted excuse to have the Progs-In-Charge further weaken our military!
Incentive to not get shot down!
…need a stronger stick-shaker.stronger
Him him in the crotch hard enough and he’ll jump right out!
Edit: .stronger somehow got mysteriously added.
Don’t worry. Liz Chaney still got plenty of kickback money from the F-35 program.
Spent time in the Hill AFB area last coupla days. Seemed strange to not hear the sound of freedom. This splains it. Went thru similar event with F-4s. Back seater blown out over the gulf. Ejection handles still in SAFE. All F-4s grounded. About a year later that F-4 (tail number 804) was transferred to us, still had dent in vertical stab where seat hit.
In their plan
Martin Baker seats?
Of course we ground our best planes just as Nazi Piglousi starts WW3.
But call me a conspiracy nut…
diversity will protect them
Pentagon – Sorry Taiwan, none of our F-35s are airworthy. We have a few WWI biplanes in museums that we could refurbish and get them off the ground. Would that help? Let us know if there is anything else we can do. We’re always ready to help a friend.
I don’t believe in coincidences !!XHIDEN can say we don’t have the capacity to help Taiwan.
Pentagon – Sorry Taiwan, all our spare weapons have either been given to Ukraine or the Taliban.
Curious thet ANNOUNCE it, especially when Pelosi in Taiwan.
Why do they make this public knowledge?