Investigations into whether super jets damaged in fire alarm spray at Williamtown
It’s understood two F-35 fighter jets – worth more than $140 million each – were in a hangar and undergoing maintenance at the time a fire alarm system was triggered.
NSW
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Defence will investigate if two multimillion-dollar super jets have been damaged after a fire suppression system was triggered early Tuesday morning in the NSW’s Hunter region.
It’s understood two F-35 fighter jets were in a hangar and undergoing maintenance at the time the fire alarm system was triggered, with foam flooding the area.
Potential damage to the jets – worth more than $140 million each – will form part of the wider investigation launched by the Defence Department in response to the incident, which occurred within the Williamtown Aerospace precinct near the RAAF base.
It’s understood the jets were grounded at a maintenance facility operated by BAE Systems, a defence and aerospace company.
A spokesman confirmed the fire suppression system was triggered and that the hangar was currently undergoing “extensive renovations”.
“No employees were in the hangar at the time. An on-site response team was immediately deployed,” he said.
“The cause of the automatic activation is currently being investigated but there is no evidence of fire.”
The spokesman said the fire suppressant foam did not contain hazardous chemicals, such as PFAS materials, and had been prevented from entering any local waterways.
“The team is working with specialist service providers to clean up this material,” he said.
“Impacted employees were advised not to attend site (on Tuesday) to allow clean-up operations to occur.
“We continue to work closely with our customers, suppliers, relevant authorities, and our partners to resolve the matter.”
It’s understood the cause of the fire suppression system going off is not yet known, with Defence assessing any impacts or potential damage.
“On August 13 2024, the fire suppression system in a maintenance facility at the Newcastle airport precinct was activated,” a Defence spokesman said.
“NSW emergency services led the response and were supported by Defence.”
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