With
the fleet still grounded in the
aftermath
of a recent engine fire at the base, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel paid
a visit to Eglin AFB, Fla., last week to tout the program and
declare
his support for the next generation fighter. Hagel said he wanted to meet
with pilots and maintainers privately to not only get a sense of the
capabilities of the jet, but also what they think of its capabilities and
progress. “I know there are issues. I don’t know of a platform that we’ve ever
had ... and then put into service that didn’t go through issues,” Hagel said in
remarks to troops at Eglin. He added that he received a “good report” from
pilots and maintainers regarding the engine,
and
would not rush a decision on clearing the fleet to fly until the separate
safety inspection and accident investigation is complete. “We’re not going to
put the F-35 in the air, send it anywhere until we are absolutely convinced and
know that its safe to fly.” As to whether or not it would fly in the upcoming
Farnborough airshow, set for July 19-20 in England, Hagel said he would leave
the decision up to the program office experts to come back and make a
recommendation. “I will listen carefully to what their analysis is and what
they think,” he added.
