Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, the commanding general of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing took the decision of suspending flight operations. The reason behind such a step was the discovery of certain anomalies in the Autonomic Logistics Information System software upgrade.
According to reports from CNN, Maj. Kurt Stahl, the Marine Corps spokesman has said that the deferral of the operation of the F-35 is temporary as the air station officials just want to make sure that the Autonomic Logistics Information System on board is functional. However, no information has been revealed about the suspension period. Hence, it is still not clear when the suspension will be lifted.
The Air Force grounded several F-35 flights at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona due to insecurity about oxygen supplies. The initial suspension was to last only a couple of days but now the days have been extended because of the health status of five pilots who experienced symptoms similar to hypoxia. The pilots used backup oxygen in order to land the planes safely on the ground.
It was later announced by the Air Force that the suspension will end on Wednesday. However, no information was revealed about the reasons behind dizziness, disorientation and tingling sensation that the pilots experienced during the flights. The investigators have narrowed down the possibilities but still no concrete statement has been given in this regard. As a precautionary measure, the amount of backup oxygen available in the flights has been increased.
The Air Force has introduced new sensors for experimenting in order to find the cause of the problem in the aircraft. Along with Air Force, reports from the Navy also suggests that similar situations as pilots had to struggle with hypoxia. Moreover, Bill Moran, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. told reporters that there has been an increasing trend in the cases of hypoxia and the cause of it is still not clear.
