Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.
Confirmed engine failure of F-35 raises concerns in Seoul
F-35 stealth fighter
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
Concerns have grown over the Air Force’s planned purchase of 40 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters after reports of a “catastrophic engine failure.”
The U.S. Air Force unveiled results of an investigation Friday, stating that this was the cause of an F-35 engine fire last summer in Florida.
Rep. Jin Sung-joon of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) warned Monday about the military’s possible easygoing attitude that the failure would be resolved by the time the nation imports the fighter jets.
“The authorities must carefully check the matter as it is directly related to the safety of our pilots,” he said.
A government official noted on condition of anonymity that now is not the time to comment on a possible review of the $7 billion deal signed by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to purchase the F-35s. He added, however, that “It is necessary to closely monitor the situation.”
According to the Air Education and Training Command Accident Investigation Board report released Friday in the U.S., the engine of an Air Force F-35A failed when the third-stage forward integral arm of a rotor broke free during takeoff in June of last year.
“Pieces of the failed rotor arm cut through the engine’s fan case, the engine bay, an internal fuel tank, and hydraulic and fuel lines before exiting through the aircraft’s upper fuselage,” it said.
Damage from the engine failure caused leaking fuel and hydraulic fluid to ignite and burn the rear two thirds of the aircraft, the report continued, adding that total damage was estimated to be more than $50 million.
An investigation has been conducted in the wake of the June 23, 2014, fire in the aircraft assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The fire led to the grounding of the entire F-35 fleet for more than three weeks, and the Pentagon to cancel the F-35’s appearance at the 2014 Farnborough Airshow in England.
Commenting on the report, a DAPA official stressed: “The agency will consistently consult with the U.S. and the company, and closely check the development of the situation so there will be no problem in introducing the fighter jets.”
In November, 2013, South Korea decided to import the radar-evading combat planes under the foreign military sales format covered by guarantees from the U.S. government. The plan is to gradually buy a total of 40 aircraft, 10 at a time, from 2018 to 2021.
The engine problem, however, has been a hot potato among critics, including NPAD lawmaker Ahn Gyu-baek who claimed in October that the military procurement agency signed the deal although it was previously informed of engine faults by the U.S.
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