Israel grounds some F-16 fighters over cancer fears
Created by Larkins Dsouza on March 21st, 2008 No Comments »
JERUSALEM, March 21- The Israeli air force said on Friday it was suspending training flights using U.S.-made F-16I fighter jets after finding a suspected cancer-causing substance in the cockpit.br /br /Israel informed Lockheed Martin Corp , the U.S. defence contractor that manufactures the F-16, that formaldehyde residues were leaking into the cockpit, the military said in a statement.br /br /”Tests have shown that the substance is formaldehyde, which was recently identified as a carcinogen,” the statement said.br /br /The two-seater F-16I, known in Israel as the “Storm”, was designed specifically for the Israeli air force.br /br /”The air force has passed the information to the aircraft manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, and tests are being coordinated with the company,” the statement said.br /br /An army spokeswoman said only training flights would be grounded.
