47
in the aircraft’s avionics cooling lines. The
problem also applied to 42 aircraft on the
production line at Fort Worth, Texas. The
grounded aircraft included ten examples
from the 34th FS.
The problem, which was said could
cause fuel contamination, was uncovered
by the Ogden Air Logistics Center during
depot maintenance. Lockheed Martin
dispatched field teams and further depot
maintenance will be required to correct
the issue in these jets, which comes from
incorrect installation by the subcontractor
and only affects certain aircraft.
As if to compound concerns, one of seven
F-35As from the 61st FS, deployed from
Luke to Mountain Home for an exercise,
caught fire upon engine start at the base
on September 23, 2016. The fire was said
to have been extinguished quickly, and
the pilot and three maintainers were
treated at a hospital as a precaution.
The fire was later deemed to have
been sparked by strong tailwinds.
Fires have damaged at least three F-35As,
including the AF-4 test aircraft in 2011
that suffered a failure of its Honeywell
Integrated Power Package. The 58th FS
aircraft AF-27 suffered an engine fire in
2014 at Eglin and remains unflyable.
While accidents can of course hit any
in-service aircraft, this does little to ease
concerns over the risks of building and
fielding so many F-35s before a complete suite
of testing has been completed – remedial
work on a grand scale may be required
to address such issues. However, this
argument could be countered by the fact
that the proliferation of aircraft in service
only serves to bump up experience with the
F-35 at a much faster rate. The fire issues
may never have been encountered so early
on in a more traditional test programme.Going on the road
When a pair of F-35As touched down
at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan on
October 31, 2017, it marked the start of
the most significant event to date forA sharp echelon
formation of 34th FS
F-35As and 48th FW
F-15Cs and F-15Es in
April 2017. Jamie HunterABOVE: Lt Col Michael Albrecht, 388th
Operations Support Squadron director of
operations, shakes hands with Lt Col Matthew
Johnston, 34th FS commander, after arriving
at Kadena. USAF/SSgt Benjamin Sutton