F-35s grounded for software, hinge fixes

Flight testing of all F-35 Joint Strike Fighter variants has been temporarily suspended until software that controls functioning of the engine’s three fuel boost pumps is modified, the Pentagon said Friday.

In addition, short takeoff/vertical landing-mode flight testing operations have been prohibited for the F-35B variant after post-flight inspections revealed an issue with the auxiliary inlet door hinge on test aircraft BF-1, said Lockheed Martin spokesman John Kent.

The auxiliary inlet doors, located immediately aft of the lift fan, open to feed additional air to the engine during short takeoffs, vertical landings, hovers and slow-speed flight, Kent said.

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