Small crack found in F-35C test aircraft

A small crack has been found in a non-flying test version of the F-35C carrier variant, according to the Joint Strike Fighter program office.

This discovery does not impact current flying operations for the three JSF variants, a Nov. 17 statement penned by F-35 communications director Joe DellaVedova reads.

"It will also not impact the U.S. Navy's ability to meet its Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in August 2018," the statement continues. "The purpose of durability testing is to intentionally stress the aircraft to its structural limits so we can identify any issues and corrective actions needed to fix them."

The small crack was found in one of the non-flying test aircraft's 13 wing spars. The aircraft had more than 13,700 test hours, which equates to 6,850 flight hours or more than 20 years of operational flying, DellaVedova wrote.

"Government and industry teams are working the engineering solution," he continued. "Initial estimates indicate a modification of approximately a half a pound to the aircraft will fix it. Modifications to F-35Cs flying today will be incorporated to ensure full life operation."