The Air Force has lifted the 2020 standoff restriction on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, allowing it to fly in lightning and thunderstorms. The restriction was put in place after an issue was discovered with the aircraft’s Onboard Inert Gas Generation System (OBIGGS). The restriction was lifted on March 19, and a fix was developed to address the problem with the OBIGGS hardware and software.
The problem with the F-35A’s OBIGGS system was discovered during depot maintenance at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The fix includes a more robust design for the fighters’ OBIGGS hardware and software updates, which were tested in the lab and in flight. The military restricted F-35As from flying near lightning until the fix was developed.
F-35Bs and Cs were not affected by the lightning problem and did not have their flying restricted. The Joint Program Office acknowledged the efforts of government and industry engineers in finding a solution to the lightning restriction problem while maintaining operational capability and safety for pilots and aircraft. Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News, covering leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times and the Pentagon.
