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March 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force announced its fleet of B-1 bombers would be ordered to stand down for safety inspections on Thursday. The inspections were ordered after potentially fleet-wide issues were identified with the rigging of the B-1B Lancers' drogue chute system during a routine inspection, according to a statement by the Air Force's Global Strike Command.
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"It appears to be a procedural issue and is unrelated to the previous problem with egress system components," the command said. "As a precautionary measure, the commander directed a holistic inspection of the entire egress system."
Global Strike Command said the stand-down would allow maintenance and Aircrew Flight Equipment technicians time to inspect each aircraft.
It didn't clarify how long the inspections would take, but said aircraft will return to flight as inspections are completed and any issues are resolved.
"The safety of Airmen is the command's top priority and this precautionary step will enable the command to correct any potential issues," Global Strike Command said.
