TOKYO - Cracks were found in two F-15 fighter jets based in Japan during checks following the crash of an F-15C in the United States last month, the U.S. military said Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
The cracks were close to the canopies on the two aircraft, which were among 30 F-15s inspected at the Kadena Air base on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, the Air Force said in a statement.
The damage was found during inspections after the U.S. Air Force issued a second flight suspension order for the fighters worldwide following an F-15C crash in Missouri last month in which the pilot was injured. The Air Force lifted the first suspension order on Nov. 21 but grounded planes for the second time later that month after finding additional defects.
The current suspension "will continue until further notice," it said.
The Air Force said the F-15s will not return to operation until further inspections and repairs are completed.
Japan's Air Self-Defense Force said inspections after the crash of its 200 or so F-15 jets had found no problems.
The U.S. Air Force said more than 700 F-15s are in its worldwide inventory. F-15s fly from bases in the U.S., England, Japan and the Middle East.
The U.S. Air Force has been using the F-15 since the mid-1970s. The fleet is currently being replaced by the F-22 Raptor, but F-15s still make up a significant percentage of American fighter jets.
The U.S. military occupies large parts of Okinawa under a bilateral security pact, including Kadena. Okinawa is about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) southwest of Tokyo.
No comments:
Post a Comment