US Air Force grounds B-1 bomber fleet over safety concerns

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

The US Air Force ordered immediate inspections of its entire fleet of B-1 bombers Thursday over safety concerns related to its "drogue chute system" which is used to right the aircraft's ejection seat prior to the seat's main parachute deploying.

While none of the planes are being allowed to fly, the order is technically not an official grounding of the fleet, as each individual aircraft will be allowed to immediately return to flying operations upon inspection.

"The safety stand-down will afford maintenance and Aircrew Flight Equipment technicians the necessary time to thoroughly inspect each aircraft," the Air Force's Global Strike Command said in a statement.

"As these inspections are completed and any issues are resolved, aircraft will return to flight," the statement added.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-air-force-grounds-b-1-bomber-fleet-over-safety-concerns/ar-BBVm9aA?li=BBnb7Kz

[flotsam]

1. Boeings? N/T

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

2. No

[EX500rider]

3. Made by Rockwell, now part of Boeing but the B-1B seats were manufactured by Weber Aircraft nt

[Blue_true]

4. Does it really matter? The B1 is a two decades plus old bomber.

Not as old as the B52. I wonder whether the problem is from a retrofit to the ejection system.