Since May 2, five 56th Fighter Wing pilots have reported symptoms of oxygen deprivation while flying the U.S. Air Force version of the joint strike fighter, including two incidents that occurred last week. In all cases, the backup oxygen systems kicked in and pilots were able to safely land the plane, but training has ground to a halt to allow a team from the F-35 Joint Program Office, or JPO, to study the events.
Maj. Rebecca Heyse, spokeswoman for the 56th Fighter Wing, said a JPO team of engineers, maintainers and aeromedical specialists arrived on base Sunday and are currently narrowing down potential causes for the incidents. The hope is to identify the root cause over the next couple days, but no date has been set as this time for a tentative resumption of operations, she told Defense News.
"The 56th Fighter Wing will continue their pause in local F-35A flying to coordinate analysis and communication between pilots, maintainers, medical professionals and a team of military and industry experts,” she said in a statement. “This coordination will include technical analysis of the physiological incidents to date and discussions on possible risk mitigation options to enable a return to flying operations.
“Updates will be provided as our teams work together toward safely returning to building the future of airpower through trained F-35A pilots. The safety of our airmen is paramount and we will take as much time as necessary to ensure their safety." (end of excerpt)
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