F-35 fighters grounded over oxygen problems

Washington, June 10 (IANS) An F-35 fighter wing has been temporarily grounded after five incidents where pilots suffered from oxygen deprivation problems, but the planes are expected to be flying again on Saturday, the Air Force.

The 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona suspended all F-35A flights on Friday after the five pilots experienced hypoxia-like symptoms, Air Force spokesman Captain Mark Graff said in a statement.

The pilots all used their backup oxygen to land the planes safely, reports CNN.

"In order to synchronise operations and maintenance efforts toward safe flying operations we have cancelled local F-35A flying," said Brig. Gen. Brook Leonard, commander of the 56th Fighter Wing.

"The Air Force takes these physiological incidents seriously, and our focus is on the safety and well-being of our pilots. We are taking the necessary steps to find the root cause of these incidents."

There are 55 F-35As at Luke Air Force Base.

Graff said that it was still not clear what caused the oxygen incidents.

The Air Force grounded 10 of its F-35 fighters last year due to insulation problems, and last month the Air Force announced it had resolved an ejection seat issue that had led to a weight restriction being imposed on pilots, CNN reported.

The Lockheed Martin-made F-35A fighter jets were declared combat ready by the Air Force last year, and F-35s have now deployed to Japan and Europe.

The F-35A is the Air Force variant of the Joint Strike Fighter: The F-35B Marine Corps variant was declared combat ready in 2015, and the F-35C Nary variant is supposed to be combat operational next year.