NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.–The 13 F-35As grounded late Friday could be out months as the Air Force and prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] work toward finding a solution, according to a key Air Force officer.
Air Combat Command chief Gen. Herbert “Hawk” Carlisle told reporters Tuesday the peeling and crumbling insulation in avionics cooling lines inside fuel tanks that forced the grounding was not a design or development issue, but instead the result of a faulty product provided by a subcontractor. He didn’t say which contractor was responsible and neither Lockheed Martin nor the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) responded to requests for comment by press time.
Carlisle believes the Air Force and Lockheed Martin are getting closer to a fix, though he didn’t specify what it was. Carlisle said he knew the consequences of not fixing the issue as overpressure or underpressure can take place if the insulation gets into any of the siphon tubes or vent tubes.
Carlisle said he’s had numerous conversations, including two “big” ones Monday and Tuesday, with Lockheed Martin F-35 Executive Vice President and General Manager Jeff Babione and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Executive Vice President Orlando Carvalho. Carlisle is actively engaged in the issue, he said, because the issue affects many of his jets at Hill AFB, Utah. Of the 13 Air Force F-35As grounded, 10 are at Hill ; four at Luke AFB, Ariz.; and one at Nellis AFB, Nev.
In addition to the fielded United States F-35As, the grounding affected two fielded Norway F-35As, 42 production aircraft, of which 28 belonged to the U.S. and partner nations, and 24 foreign military sale (FMS) aircraft.
Carlisle’s remarks came at the Air Force Association’s (AFA) annual conference here. The F-35 is developed by Lockheed Martin with BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman [NOC].