SAN ANTONIO — At least 279 military aircraft across U.S. Air Force bases – including Randolph in San Antonio – have been identified as having potentially flawed escape systems, resulting in a temporary grounding that began Wednesday.
Air Force officials said they identified "quality defects in the manufacture of explosive cartridges used in the escape systems" of the T-38 Talon supersonic jet and T-6 Texan single-engine trainer.
The manufacturer was able to isolate specific aircraft groups requiring further inspections, which is how they determined which planes were affected. The 279 aircraft amounts to about 40% of the T-38 fleet and 15% of the Air Force's T-6 plans, a spokesperson said.
"Our primary concern is the safety of our Airmen, and it is imperative that they have confidence in our equipment," Maj. Gen. Craig Wills is quoted as saying in a statement from the Air Force. "Our actions today were taken out of an abundance of caution in order to ensure the safety of our pilots and aircrew. We will not return aircraft affected by this issue to the flying schedule until we're confident their escape systems are fully functional."
The Air Force Materiel Command is working to determine what potential fixes are necessary before the planes are given the all-clear to be used once again.
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