The Pentagon is examining a problem with a component of an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that caused smoke in the cockpit during a flight earlier this month, an official said yesterday.
The Pentagon said the incident involved a power system that controls oxygen and temperature in the cockpit, and components have been shipped to manufacturer Honeywell International [HON] for evaluation. The issue is believed to be software related and “very minor,” the Pentagon official said.
“This is a program that is in research and development, there is software development going on,” the official said. “To have a minor issue like this is part of the process.”
The incident occurred Feb. 14 on a test aircraft of the F-35B flown by the Marine Corps. The pilot safely landed the BF-2 aircraft at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
Nathan Drevna, a spokesman for Honeywell International, said the company plans to quickly inspect the cockpit parts and determine the next steps.
“We are aware of a single F-35 issue experienced during a test flight that is related to the aircraft cooling system. The pilot landed safely,” he said. “The Honeywell-related products are being shipped to our testing facility so we can quickly inspect and determine next steps with our customer.”
Prime contractor Lockheed Martin [LMT] added: “The event is currently under review and the hardware in question was returned to the supplier for a root cause analysis,” spokeswoman Laura Siebert said. “While the cause of the incident hasn’t been finalized, initial data reviews indicate a potential cooling system failure within the power and thermal system mechanical components.”
News of the incident comes a few days after the Pentagon announced that the entire fleet of F-35s has been grounding as a precaution following the discovery of a crack on an engine blade during a routine inspection Feb. 19. The crack was on low pressure turbine blade on an Air Force F-35A variant (Defense Daily, Feb 25.).