Pentagon Discloses New Quality Glitch on Lockheed's F-35 Jets
- Deliveries halted a month through Oct. 20 as fixes reviewed
- Pentagon says fastener flaw poses no safety hazard to pilots
F-35C Lightning II carrier variant joint strike fighter
Source: U.S. Navy
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The Pentagon’s F-35 program office is weighing how to fix to a newly discovered glitch in the fighter -- the military’s most expensive program -- that halted deliveries of the Lockheed Martin Corp. plane for 30 days.
The problem was linked to a primer that’s supposed to be applied as a protective layer on aluminum fasteners to prevent corrosion. The Defense Department temporarily stopped deliveries of the next-generation jet for the month ending Oct. 20 to assess the issue.