Air Force keeps F-35s on the ground following oxygen issues

The Air Force’s temporary grounding of a squadron of F-35 fighter jets in Arizona has been extended as analysts try to figure out why five pilots suffered from oxygen deprivation.

The 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base will “continue their pause in local F-35A flying to coordinate analysis and communication between pilots, maintainers, medical professionals and a team of military and industry experts,” Air Force spokeswoman Maj. Rebecca Heyse said in a statement Monday.

“This coordination will include technical analysis of the physiological incidents to date and discussions on possible risk mitigation options to enable a return to flying operations,” she added.

The 56th on Friday canceled local flying operations for its F-35A Lightning II fighters for the weekend, after five incidents since May 2 in which pilots experienced symptoms similar to hypoxia, also known as oxygen deprivation.

{mosads}The Air Force said at the time that the backup oxygen system activated in all incidents and pilots were able to land the planes safely.

In response, the F-35 joint program office created a team of government and industry “engineers, maintainers and aeromedical physiologists” to discover what went wrong with the aircraft.

The service did not say how long the analysis will take, nor when it expects to resume flights.

“The safety of our Airmen is paramount and we will take as much time as necessary to ensure their safety,” Heyse said.

The flight cancellations affect 49 pilots and the total 55 F-35As at Luke Air Force Base. There have been no similar incidents reported at other service bases. 

The long-embattled F-35 program has experienced a number of cost overruns and delays, as well as technical issues.

In December, President Trump criticized costs for the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 — the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons acquisition program to date — as “out of control.”