F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program grounds some aircraft after malfunction

Dec. 29 (UPI) -- The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program grounded a number of the aircraft after a Dec. 15 incident in which a pilot was forced to eject from an F-35B at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas.

The pilot was performing vertical takeoff and landing maneuvers when the aircraft spun out of control on the tarmac, forcing the pilot to eject successfully. The dramatic incident was captured on film and posted to social media.

The F-35B is able to take off and land vertically because of its vectored thrust system, but unlike the Harrier II vertical takeoff and landing jet that U.S. forces used in conflicts like Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Libya, the F-35B also can fly at supersonic speeds.

Israel also grounded 11 F-35A fighters over fears that malfunctions in the F-35B could also affect their aircraft.

Unlike the F-35B, the F-35A cannot perform vertical takeoff and landing maneuvers. Israel said the F-35 was one of the aircraft used in the May, 2021, bombing campaign against Gaza. The watchdog Airwars reported that 192 civilians, including 71 minors, were killed in the assault.

The F-35 program has been plagued by controversy for years. In September, the Pentagon announced it would temporarily suspend deliveries of the Lockheed-Martin manufactured-jets when it was discovered that key components were manufactured in China.