Deliveries of Air Force F-35 fighters were halted for two weeks in November, after Lockheed Martin discovered a mix up with fasteners used on the aircraft, reports Air Force Magazine.
Pentagon acquisition chief Ellen Lord said the Defense Contract Management Agency was notified on November 12 that there had been “co-mingling” of Titanium and Inconel fasteners on the F-35 production line, after deliveries were halted. However, after a quick analysis, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin determined the jets with potentially incorrect fasteners were “safe to fly, so on 27 November, we resumed accepting aircraft,” Lord said.
She did not discuss how many aircraft were affected, or whether further corrective action would be taken. Read more at Air Force Magazine. [https://www.airforcemag.com/fasteners-cause-brief-break-in-f-35-deliveries/]