Posted on 07/30/2022 4:37:53 AM PDT by FarCenter
The Air Force is grounding the majority of its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet today, due to a faulty component inside its ejection seat that could prevent the pilot from being able to safely egress from the aircraft during an emergency, Breaking Defense has learned.
In response to an inquiry, Air Combat Command spokeswoman Alexi Worley confirmed the temporary standdown of ACC-controlled F-35s.
“ACC’s F-35s do have Martin-Baker ejection seats, and on July 19, began a Time Compliance Technical Directive to inspect all of the cartridges on the ejection seat within 90 days,” she stated. “Out of an abundance of caution, ACC units will execute a stand-down on July 29 to expedite the inspection process. Based on data gathered from those inspections, ACC will make a determination to resume operations.”
Later on Friday afternoon, Air Education and Training Command announced it had also paused F-35 operations on July 29 “to allow our logistics team to further analyze the issue and expedite the inspection process,” said AETC spokeswoman Capt. Lauren Woods. AETC controls F-35 training squadrons at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, and Eglin AFB in Fla.
“Based on the results of these inspections and in conjunction with ACC, the lead command for F-35, AETC will make a decision regarding continued operations,” Woods said.
While ACC controls the majority of operational USAF F-35s, smaller numbers of jets are spread out among other major commands, including United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It was not immediately clear if those units would also be standing down their fifth-generation fighters for a safety check.
At issue are cartridge actuated devices — explosive cartridges used inside ejection seats to help propel the seat out of an aircraft during an emergency. According to the Air Force, certain production lots of CADs used in Martin-Baker ejection seats have been identified by the company as being defective and needing replacement.
A lot of crew chiefs, and Egress are going to be busy this weekend. Come to think about it, I don’t ever remember having to call those guys out to a jet on weekend duty.
Premature ejection? They have pills for that.
CC
One wonders whether a computer chip is involved.
Oh, goody. Maybe the chinamen will take the bait and attack. “Oh, we’re helpless now! Please don’t hurt us!” ;D
Chinaman: “We launch nukes.”
[The USA carries out preemptive strikes.]
US soldiers: “I think I’m getting an ejection!”
The piece is an hysterical exaggeration. Only three parts out of thousands were found to be lacking a charge. The fighters are still operational when needed.
They’re probably concerned that the seats may be racist or transphobic.
Russia shut off gas and oil to its neighbors, demanded rubles in payment, etc.. Chinese-made computer chips will go kaflooey whenever it’s most advantageous for Xi.
Perhaps Martin-Baker got the explosive cartridges from Takata?
“At issue are cartridge actuated devices — explosive cartridges used inside ejection seats to help propel the seat out of an aircraft during an emergency. According to the Air Force, certain production lots of CADs used in Martin-Baker ejection seats have been identified by the company as being defective and needing replacement.”
My guess is that it is a fusing device. No indication that it is a chip probelm. Vibration a likely culprit.
They, china,probably built the part.
According to the Air Force, certain production lots of CADs used in Martin-Baker ejection seats have been identified by the company as being defective and needing replacement.
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This sounds like the aircraft version of the auto airbag problems from a few years back where airbags were killing people which what amounted to “shrapnel” inside the airbag.
So now we have ejection seats that don’t eject. Major problem as there is no way to manually exit a jet aircraft moving at 1,000+ MPH.
When oh when are they just going to give this fighter up as a crappy platform? 😣
It’s already in service. It’s a regular platform now. It would be far more wasteful to go try and develop something new in the gristmill of government contracting.
Its a mistake that needs to be scrapped. Its dumb to keep throwing money at a loser.
And because doing so would be a bigger mistake at this point, I don’t think that is a good argument.
“Meet your maker in a Martin-Baker”
- old aviation saying
Ping.
“on July 19, began a Time Compliance Technical Directive to inspect all of the cartridges on the ejection seat within 90 days”
~~~~
Thank goodness America’s enemies have given us a 90 day stand down to solve this problem. What about the F-35s we’ve sold to our allies?
Thank you.
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