Eleven Israeli F-35 ‘Adir’ stealth fighter jets were grounded Sunday in response to the crash of a similar aircraft in the United States two weeks earlier.
A statement by the IDF said the decision followed an initial review which found potential malfunctions similar to those seen in the aircraft that crashed in Texas.
“As part of the lessons learned from the crash of an American F-35 B fighter jet about two weeks ago in Texas, the Air Force has decided, following the recommendation of the US Aircraft Production Administration (JPO), to ground 11 aircraft from the ‘Adir’ array,” the IDF said in a statement.
מהממצאים והמידע שהועבר נמצא כי המטוסים הללו נדרשים בבדיקה יעודית על מנת לפסול אפשרות של תקלה חוזרת במערך הישראלי.
חיל האוויר ינתח את ממצאי חקירת האירוע וימליץ על אופן החזרת המטוסים באופן בטוח לטיסה— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 25, 2022
“From the findings and the information transmitted, it was found that the planes require a dedicated inspection to rule out the possibility of a repeated malfunction in the Israeli system.
“The Air Force will analyze the findings of the incident investigation and recommend how to safely return the planes to flight.”
All Israeli F-35s to Be Examined Following US Ejection Seat Problems
The IDF and F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin have both added that it is not certain the Israeli F-35A has a similar potential malfunction, but said the grounding was made out of an abundance of caution.
IAF’s F-35s Fully Operational Again, Participated in Operation Breaking Dawn
In July of this year, Israel Air Force Commander Major-General Tomer Bar ordered a comprehensive inspection of each ‘Adir’ F-35A combat aircraft before its first flight.
At the time, the order followed a report from the US about a possible defect in the ejection mechanism of the pilots’ seats in the aircraft.
By August, the IAF declared the F-35I Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) array to be operational, with inspections clearing all the aircraft of defects in time to carry out missions in the brief Operation Breaking Dawn against Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in Gaza.
