Fuel Flow

The F-35 program office is expected today to resolve a software glitch responsible for halting test flights last week, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters, adding that Defense Department leaders do not believe the issue to "be a serious setback."

Vice Adm. David Venlet, the F-35 program manager, said in a statement that the "aviation development process discovers technical challenges that force programs to pause, reassess, resolve, and continue. As always, our primary concern is safety."

Venlet's office last week suspended flights tests of all three F-35 variants until software that controls the flow of fuel into the engine's three fuel boost pumps could be corrected, Morrell said today.

The incorrect sequencing was discovered during laboratory testing. It could possibly trigger a shutdown of all three boost pumps, potentially further causing engine stall. Such a simultaneous shutdown is unlikely, but prudence dictated a suspension of operations until the fuel boost pump signal timing was corrected. A software update has been developed, and is planned to complete required functional and safety tests prior to installation in test aircraft beginning Tuesday, October 5th.

Morrell added: "This is precisely why we have a test program: to try to encounter problems early, fix them and move on from there."