Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedi on Friday called for all F-16I (Storm) aircraft to be removed from flight school training programs after a number of pilots complained of a strange material in the cockpit that was later revealed as carcinogenic. A report on the matter has been transferred to Lockheed Martin, the planes' manufacturer.
Recently, a Storm flight team complained of a pungent odor in the cockpit of one of the newer additions to the IAF arsenal. A survey of the plane later revealed that formaldehyde – a high concentration of which is likely to cause cancer – was present in that one plane.
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Other planes were methodically checked for the substance; however they all come out clean. In order to be completely certain that the matter is not present in other planes, the aircraft will be removed from training until the stringent verifications are carried out.
The Storm aircraft entered into the Israeli Air Force arsenal around four years ago during the tenure of former Air Force Chief Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz.
The deal to acquire the advanced fighter planes was signed in 2000 and eventually led to the acquisition of over 100 of the aircraft.
In 2002, an Israeli flight team comprised of F-15 and Phantom pilots was sent to the US to train with the F-16I and prepare the ground for its induction into the IAF warplane lineup.
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