The US Air Force is assisting Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney, and the Israeli Air Force in determining the source of a type of formaldehyde found in IAF F-16 fighters, reports the Jerusalem Post. The problem erupted earlier this year when Israeli pilots noticed a strange smell in one fighter that later proved to be a type of formaldehyde that is known to cause cancer, prompting the IAF to ground the fighters. The US Air Force has not had a similar problem with its F-16s, according to Air Combat Command boss Gen. John Corley. The IAF is installing special filters that appear to work to eliminate the problem in some of the aircraft but not all.
The Air Force has begun flying its CV-22 Ospreys again. But that is just the start of a multi-step process to return the fleet to normal operations following a deadly crash last year, the service says.