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| F-35 jets: US military grounds entire fleet | F-35 jets: US military grounds entire fleet |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The US military has temporarily grounded its entire fleet of F-35 fighter jets in the wake of a crash in South Carolina last month. | |
| Inspections are to be carried out on faulty fuel tubes. | Inspections are to be carried out on faulty fuel tubes. |
| An official report questioned earlier this year whether the F-35 was ready for combat after dozens of faults were found. | An official report questioned earlier this year whether the F-35 was ready for combat after dozens of faults were found. |
| The F-35 is the largest and most expensive weapons programme of its type in the world. | The F-35 is the largest and most expensive weapons programme of its type in the world. |
| The programme is expected to last several decades and global sales are projected to be 3,000. | |
| The aircraft, which uses stealth technology to reduce its visibility to radar, comes in three variants. | |
| The crash in South Carolina involved an F-35B, which is able to take off and land vertically and costs around $100m (£75m). | |
| The pilot in that incident ejected safely, but the aircraft was destroyed. | |
| The plane, manufactured by Lockheed but including parts made in several other countries, has been sold to a number of nations, including the UK and Japan. | |
| It was first used in combat by Israel earlier this year to carry out two strikes. | It was first used in combat by Israel earlier this year to carry out two strikes. |
| In statement, the F-35 Joint Program Office said the US and its international partners had suspended flight operations while a fleet-wide inspection of fuel tubes was conducted. | |
| "If suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced. If known good fuel tubes are already installed, then those aircraft will be returned to flight status. | |
| "Inspections are expected to be completed within the next 24 to 48 hours." |