Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Burj Qalawieh, south Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The first ship of the Maghreb fleet delivering aid to break the siege on Gaza departs from the port of Gammarth in Tunisia.
Channel 12: Airspace closed at Ramon Airport due to fears of drone infiltration
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded over an aircraft infiltration in the Bir Ora area, and details are being examined
Drone infiltration sirens sound north of the Gulf of Aqaba
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out five extremely violent raids on the western areas of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out major bombings in the Gaza Strip, the most violent since October 7
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree: The missile force carried out a major operation using the Palestine 2 ballistic hypersonic missile, hitting several targets in occupied Yafa.
Sirens sound in large areas of occupied Palestine after a missile launch from Yemen was detected
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 14 martyrs arrive at al-Shifa Hospital following Israeli massacre of al-Sultan Family north of Gaza.

F-35A fighters unreliable, 'unready 234 times over 18-month period'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 4 Oct 2022 18:32
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

Lockheed Martin's F-35A has caused the South Korean Air Force to run into several issues, with there being 234 independent cases where the fighters could not take off.

  • x
  • The F-35A Lightning II fighter jet
    The F-35A Lightning II fighter jet

The US stealth fighter jets and one of the Pentagon's latest grand investments, the F-35As, were rated as "operationally unready" 234 times over a year and a half since January 2021 in South Korea due to malfunctions, a South Korean lawmaker said on Tuesday.

People Power Party representative Shin Won-sik said that over the 18-month period, the fighters were grounded on 172 instances. The remaining 62 cases were due to the jets being able to take off but without being able to carry out certain missions.

The South Korean military should make strenuous efforts to both introduce such high-end weapons systems and maintain them, Shin added upon disclosing the data.

The multi-billion project's future is looking quite grim, with grounded fifth-generation fighters only being able to carry out missions for 12 days on average in 2021 and 11 days in the first half of 2022.

Over the same 18-month period, the older F-4E and the F-5 were only grounded 26 and 28 times, respectively.

The Air Force underlined that it had no problem with maintaining the readiness of the F-35As, with the aircraft meeting their target operational rate of 75%.

Related News

DPRK defies US, says nuclear state status 'permanently enshrined'

US, China to resume talks in Madrid; tariffs, TikTok on agenda

Seoul acknowledged that it had issues acquiring parts for defects identified in the F-35As, noting that it would be working on receiving them from the manufacturer within the shortest possible time frame.

South Korea finished deploying 40 F-35As in January under the country's first project aimed at acquiring Lockheed Martin's newest steal fighter.

Despite their low operational rates, stealth fighters have been gaining impetus since their introduction. The Swiss parliamentary committee on security policy in early September gave the green light to the purchase of 36 US-made F-35A fighter jets for the national army despite resistance from the country's opposition.

In late August, the Swiss government announced the impossibility of holding a referendum on the issue before the expiry of the US sales offers on March 31, 2023. The administration asserted that delaying the replacement of the fleet's 55 ailing planes would have detrimental effects on the country's security.

Germany, too, revealed in March that it would acquire 35 Lockheed Martin F-35s from the United States to upgrade its aging Tornado fleet, marking the first defense deal for the country since Chancellor Olaf Scholz's promise to spend some 100 billion euros on upgrading Germany's defensive capabilities in response to the war in Ukraine.

Read next: F-35 defects put Israeli air force in dilemma: Israeli media

The United States Air Force in late July even went as far as grounding its F-35A jet fleet, citing a potentially faulty component in the ejection seat that could endanger pilots in an emergency, a concern that has also grounded other types of military planes used for training.

  • United States
  • Switzerland
  • F-35A jets
  • Israel
  • Germany
  • Israeli occupation
  • lockheed martin
  • F-35

Most Read

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Israeli police and rescue teams respond at the scene of a shooting attack where several people killed and injured in Jerusalem, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 (AP)

Al-Quds shooting: 7 settlers killed, several critically injured

  • Politics
  • 8 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

Pro-'Israel' far-right Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
People protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, on Friday, September 27, 2024 (AP)
Politics

'Israel' stops unfunded diplomacy ahead of UN, October 7 memorial

An Israeli Air Force fighter jet releases flares over the Gaza Strip, is seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

OIC summit draft: Israeli attack on Qatar risks normalization

People shout slogans and hold Palestinian flags while protesting during the twenty-first stage of La Vuelta cycling race from Alalpardo to Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP)
Sports

Pro-Palestine protests force abrupt end to Vuelta a España finale

Damage is seen after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli regime faces growing isolation over Qatar strike: Reports

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS