Israel grounds 11 F-35 jets after US fighter crashes during test in Texas

Jerusalem: Israel has grounded 11 of its advanced F-35 stealth jets after a similar model of aircraft crashed during a test flight in Texas, United States earlier this month.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that the grounding decision was made after an initial review of the F-35 aircraft was done which revealed potentially similar malfunctions as what had occurred in the US fighter’s crash.

“From the findings and the information given, it was found that these planes require a dedicated inspection in order to rule out the possibility of a repeated malfunction in the Israeli array,” the IDF said.

It further said the air force will analyse the findings of the investigation of the incident and recommend how to safely return the planes to flight.

Don’t Miss: WATCH: F-35B fighter pilot ejects ‘successfully’ as aircraft crashes near Fort Worth in Texas

On 15 December, a F-35B crashed on a runway at a US Navy base in Texas. The crash reportedly took place during a test of its hovering capabilities conducted by Lockheed Martin. The pilot ejected safely and was unharmed.

Notably, Israel has agreed to purchase at least 50 F-35 fighter jets from the US defence contractor Lockheed Martin. Till now, 36 aircrafts have been delivered and remaining planes are expected to arrive in batches till 2024.

F-35 fighter jets

The F-35I which are the Israeli version of the F-35 are based on the F-35A, which has a conventional take-off and landing system.

The B variant of F-35 is used by the US Navy as it allows for short take-off and vertical landing on aircraft carriers.

Reportedly, earlier this year, the Israeli Air Force grounded its entire F-35 fleet over a problem with its ejector seats which was also discovered by the US. However, the jets returned to services after a week post examination for the issue.

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