(AP Photo)WASHINGTON
(AP) - The Pentagon said it has lifted an order that briefly grounded its
fleet of F-35 fighter jets.
The jets
were grounded on February 21 after the discovery of a small crack in the
turbine blade of an engine in one F-35 at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
On Thursday
evening the Pentagon said all 51 planes had been cleared to resume flight
operations.
It said
prolonged exposure to high levels of heat and other unspecific
"stressors" were determined to be the cause of the crack. No
additional cracks were found.
The problem was discovered during what the Pentagon called a
routine inspection at Edwards Air Force Base, California, of an Air Force
version of the F-35. Other versions of the F-35 are flown by the Navy and the
Marine Corps. All versions were grounded Friday.
The F-35 is the Pentagon's most
expensive weapons program at a total estimated cost of nearly $400 billion.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
