AF Confirms Cracks in Some F-16 Fighters
WASHINGTON — The Air Force on Tuesday confirmed that it has discovered cracks in some of its F-16 Falcon fighter planes and called them relatively minor, not enough to ground the fleet.
Capt. George Sillia, an Air Force spokesman, said that cracks were found in 10 F-16s operated by the U.S. Air Force and in 10 F-16s sold to other countries that he could not immediately identify.
The cracks are at a point where the wing attaches to the plane’s body. “These are hairline cracks that you could barely see with the naked eye,†he said.
Sillia said that the Air Force had found the cracks in routine maintenance checks and that repairs are being made. He said that the Air Force expects eventually to reinforce the vulnerable spot at the wing joint on all 1,600 F-16s in the U.S. fleet, at a cost of $250 million.
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