F-35s grounded for inspections

The Defense Department has temporarily grounded all service variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter after an investigation into a Sept. 28 crash of an F-35B near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. The Pentagon will inspect potentially faulty fuel tubes within the engine before aircraft are allowed to take to the skies again, the Joint Program Office said Oct. 11. (Source: Military.com 10/11/19) Gulf Coast Note: Eglin AFB, Fla., trains AF, Navy and partner-nation F-35 pilots and maintenance personnel.