F-35As grounded due to faulty insulation back in flight

The Air Force announced Friday it has completed repairs on 13 F-35As that were under flight restrictions due to faulty insulation in some avionics coolant tubes.

The service and prime contract Lockheed Martin discovered the issue in September during depot modifications. A total of 57 aircraft were affected: 13 Air Force jets, two Norwegian jets and 42 aircraft on the production line.

“The program has a proven track record of solving technical issues and we're confident we'll continue to do so,” Air Force spokesman Capt. Mark Graff said in a Nov. 18 statement.

The remaining 42 jets still in production will be repaired starting in December. Lockheed Martin said last month during an earnings call the repair process will slow its delivery pace for this year. The company is not sure by how much it will miss its production target, but is confident it will make up for any slow-down in 2017.