Dozens of F-35 stealth fighters that were grounded for 11 days due to an oxygen-supply problem aboard the expensive warplanes will resume flying on Wednesday, the US Air Force said.
Held every two years, the International Paris Air Show represents a unique opportunity for the United States to showcase its leadership in aerospace technologies while supporting various armament procurement competitions taking place throughout Europe.
The air force began surveying pilots' confidence at Luke when the incidents began in May and later expanded the survey across all USAF F-35 pilots, Col Todd Canterbury, director of the USAF F-35 Integration Office, told reporters on 19 June at Paris air show.
Brigadier General Select Todd Canterbury, director of the Pentagon's US Air Force F-35 Integration Office, told the Associated Press that the F-35 performances "showcase the capability to all our European partners and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies" and were meant "to reassure them that we are committed to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 100 percent and that we have got the capability to respond to any action necessary".
The investigation is ongoing into the root cause of five physiological incidents that F-35A pilots at Luke AFB experienced from May 2 until flights operations there were cancelled on June 9.
But the program has faced numerous delays, cost overruns and setbacks, including a mysterious engine fire in 2014 that led commanders to temporarily ground the planes.
"The fact that we have all the experts on this team trying to identify the root cause of this issue puts the pilots' minds at ease, and they're looking forward to getting back in the air", said Canterbury. Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen to the body.
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"However, specific concerns were eliminated as possible causes, including maintenance and aircrew flight equipment procedures", Heyse said.
In the meantime, the commander at Luke AFB can make local decisions to increase pilot confidence and decrease their vulnerability to oxygen issues, such as implementing an artificial speed restriction, he adds. It initially surveyed pilots stationed at the base, then through the Air Combat Command surveyed all F-35A pilots. "An airplane in development such as this will have teething problems".
The F-35 flew briefly at the Farnborough Air Show previous year, but chose Paris for its worldwide debut acrobatic demonstration.
"This is a beastly airplane", said chief F-35 test pilot Alan Norman.
After roaring off the Le Bourget Airport tarmac into a vertical climb with its afterburner, the F-35 is expected to wow with a series of loops and gravity-defying moves, showing maneuverability so catlike it can turn corners so sharp that it seems to carve squares in the sky. It will also show its ability to slow down to a crawl - a trick that can force pursuers to fly past and become the hunted and which Tom Cruise famously showed off in Top Gun.
Canterbury said Germany, Belgium, and Singapore had requested information about the F-35, the first step toward potential purchases.
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