F-35s to be Equipped With Modified Lightning Protection System by the End of 2020 Written 14 October 2020
An F-35 Lighting II at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., 6 March 2013. | Lawrence Crespo, US Air Force; Wikipedia; Public Domain
Defense News reports that Lockheed Martin Vice President of F-35 Production Darren Sekiguchi said that “by the end of 2020, F-35 fighter jets rolling off Lockheed Martin’s production line will be equipped with a modified lightning protection system that will fix problems discovered earlier this year.” In an October 5 interview with Defense News, Sekiguchi said that DoD and Lockheed have come to an agreement on a fix for the Onboard Inert Gas Generation System. Sekiguchi said that the fix primarily involves “strengthening a number of brackets associated with these tubes for OBIGGS,” which, according to Defense News, “will ultimately allow the tubes inside the fuel tank to be held in place more securely and prevent movement that could lead to damage.”
Full Story (CBS News)