Generator Failure During Test Flight Grounds F-35 Fighter FleetMarch 18, 2011
The Pentagon's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program just experienced the latest in a long string of setbacks when two power generators failed during a test flight on March 9. The problem affected the AF-4, one of the F-35 variants customized for the Air Force, which was being tested at Edwards Air Force Base. The jet managed to return safely to base, but the Pentagon grounded the entire fleet, according to a Reuters' news report. The test jet also leaked oil. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on this $382 billion program — one of the biggest Pentagon programs ever, but also one beset by cost overruns and delays. The latest problem came after a major restructuring intended to slow development so that more flight testing could be conducted to clear all problems before the plane goes into production, according to Reuters. Lockheed and the Pentagon division overseeing the F-35 program are investigating the cause of the oil leak and power generation failure. "Once the cause is known, the appropriate repairs and improvements will be made before the flight operations resume," Lockheed spokesman John Kent told Reuters. He noted that the F-35 fleet was grounded as a "routine safety precaution." Engineers have not yet determined the cause the failure of the power generators and the oil leak, but the Lockheed spokesman told Reuters that the jet was designed with multiple redundancies just in case of such problems. Lockheed has partnered with eight international partners to develop three variants of the F-35, which will replace different planes now used by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines, as well as several foreign armies.The program has already conducted nearly 700 flight tests with over 1,000 hours of flight-testing. The biggest hurdle is the variant being built for the Marines that will allow for short takeoffs and vertical landings. This version has completed 51 vertical landings this year alone, compared to only 10 last year. |
|
