Pentagon grounds F-35 fighters over engine problem

All flight operations of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter planes have been suspended over an engine problem discovered on one of the aircraft, the US Department of Defense (DoD) said on Friday.

According to the DoD, a routine engine inspection on Tuesday revealed a crack on an engine blade of the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine installed in F-35A aircraft operating at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

“As a precautionary measure, all F-35 flight operations have been suspended until the investigation is complete,” the DoD said in a statement on its website.

F-35s have been grounded before over electrical system problems.

The F-35 is currently still being tested, but low-rate initial production is already underway, with full-rate production due to begin around 2016. The Pentagon wants to procure a total of 2,443 F-35s.

According to the latest Government Accountability Office report, the F-35's per unit cost has almost doubled since the inception of the Joint Strike Fighter program in 2001.