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posted by martyb on Monday June 12 2017, @08:42PM   Printer-friendly
from the Zoom!-Zoom!-Boom! dept.

The US Air Force's 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona today cancelled "local flying operations" for F-35A fighters after five incidents in which pilots "experienced hypoxia-like symptoms," an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement. Hypoxia is a deficiency in oxygen reaching the body through the circulatory system.

"In order to synchronize operations and maintenance efforts toward safe flying operations we have cancelled local F-35A flying," said 56th Fighter Wing commander Brigadier General Brook Leonard. "The Air Force takes these physiological incidents seriously, and our focus is on the safety and well-being of our pilots. We are taking the necessary steps to find the root cause of these incidents."

The cancellation of F-35A operations is currently restricted to Luke Air Force Base, the primary pilot training base for the F-35A. The Air Force also trains F-35A pilots at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The 56th Fighter Wing's squadrons at Luke train pilots from the US Air Force as well as from other nations buying the F-35A, including Norway, Italy, and Australia. All the pilots training at Luke will be briefed on the incidents and on the procedures the pilots affected used to successfully restore oxygen and land the aircraft safely, a 56th Fighter Wing spokesperson said. The 56th's Air Operations Group will also hold a forum with pilots to discuss their concerns.

Source: ArsTechnica

According to Wikipedia:

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters. The fifth-generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack and air defense missions. It has three main models: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant, and the F-35C carrier-based Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) variant. On 31 July 2015, the United States Marines declared ready for deployment the first squadron of F-35B fighters after intensive testing. On 2 August 2016, the U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35A fighters combat-ready.

The F-35 development program has been plagued with cost overruns and delays. Current estimated costs per unit vary from $95m for the F35-A to $120m for the F35-B and F35-C.


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  • (Score: 2) by looorg on Monday June 12 2017, @09:07PM (1 child)

    by looorg (578) on Monday June 12 2017, @09:07PM (#524652)

    We are taking the necessary steps to find the root cause of these incidents.

    [speculation mode activated] So I wonder which it could be, there seems to be so many issues or possibilities to pick from. To high altitude, flying to high or higher then they should; problem with the aircraft, same reason then probably as in can't it fly as high as the specs promised with out the life support system or some other system failing. Perhaps there is some kind of leak or is there a problem with the flight suits cutting off circulation a little to much? Perhaps humans have finally become the weakest link.

    ... it was shown in testing that the helmet F-35 pilots wore might break the necks of pilots under 136 pounds.

    Auch! At first that seems like a bit of an issue. At the same time what kind of lightweight pilot weighs 62 kg - that is some serious girly weight right there. Which I guess was the issue -- they just didn't want to point that out. Sorry ladies, you gotta be this large to get on this ride! Yiiii-ha!

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 12 2017, @09:42PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 12 2017, @09:42PM (#524678)

    > So I wonder which it could be, there seems to be so many issues or possibilities to pick from

    most probable: the aircraft is secretly built in china to cheat the taxpayer out of some millions, but the chinese figured out there was no hollywood movie about some funny transformer aircraft and shipped faulty items, soon the sky is filled with chinese f40-5 which give the correct amount of oxygen, and perform a shiatsu massage on demand.