The U.S. Air Force plans to resume operations of its F-35 joint strike fighter jets by the end of this year after the completion of repairs to the aircraft’s fuel pipes, Breaking Defense reported Friday.
The F-35 Joint Program Office has has said the non-compliant Polyalphaolefin coolant tubes of the Air Force’s 15 operational F-35 jets are undergoing modifications, Colin Clark writes.
Repairs started October 7 and takes roughly three weeks to complete per aircraft.
Flight operations of the Lockheed Martin-built F-35s were suspended in September after an insulation issue on the coolant tubes within the aircraft’s wings was identified.