Britain grounds entire F-35 fighter Jet Fleet
The most expensive weapons system around, the F-35 has been plagued by a flurry of problems which have sent the costs spiraling upward.
The UK grounded its fleet of £120 million per plane ($158.5 million) F-35 stealth fighters following the crash of a US jet in September.
Britain’s current fleet of 15 F-35 fighter jets that arrived in the country in June, is being examined to determine if last month’s mishap with a US Marine Corps F-35B in South Carolina was caused by a faulty fuel tube.
“Safety is our paramount concern, therefore the UK has decided to pause some F-35 flying as a precautionary measure while we consider the findings of an ongoing inquiry,” a Ministry of Defense spokesman said.
He added, however, that F-35 flight trials from the aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, are continuing and the program remains on schedule.
The Royal Air Force currently has 15 F-35B short take-off and vertical landing variants of the jets and plans to buy a total of 138 to be jointly operated with the Royal Navy.
The United States temporarily suspended all F-35 operations worldwide after the first-ever crash of the advanced F-35 Lightning II fighter jet in September.
