US, Israel ground F-35 warplanes after crash
The United States and the Israeli regime have grounded a number of their F-35 stealth warplanes after a crash involving a model of the aircraft.
Reporting on Thursday, The Hill cited an official from the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) as saying that the US military had grounded an unspecified number of the planes after the December 15 incident.
The incident which has been shared widely across social media, saw an F-35B crashing on the runway at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas as it was reportedly undergoing a test of its hovering capabilities. The pilot ejected safely before the crash, which took place as the plane was landing vertically.
The grounded aircraft "are being investigated as part of a Time Compliance Technical Directive (TCTD)" issued by the JPO on Tuesday, the American newspaper reported.
The directive recommended "restrictions on a small number of aircraft, which have been evaluated to be of higher risk, from flight operations and until procedures can be developed for their return to flight," it added, citing the official.
The JPO "will work with the military services and international partners to ensure understanding of the risks identified in the TCTD," the official noted.
On Sunday, the Israeli regime's air force too said it had grounded 11 of its F-35 warplanes following recommendations issued by the JPO, The Times of Israel reported.
"From the findings and the information given, it was found that these planes require a dedicated inspection in order to rule out the possibility of a repeated malfunction in the Israeli array," the Israeli military said.
According to The Hill, there have been several other F-35 incidents over the past year, including an accident that involved the fifth-generation fighter aircraft crashing into the ocean in January.
Seven US sailors were injured during the January "landing mishap" that featured a Navy F-35C warplane on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea, the Navy said at the time.
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