Pentagon issues further safety procedures for 'oxygen deprived' advanced F-22 fighter jets

Washington, May 16(ANI): The Obama administration has issued further safety measures for its most powerful F-22 fighter jets after pilots experienced symptoms of oxygen deprivation.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta believes the new precautions on the F-22s, built by Lockheed Martin, are sufficient to guarantee safety.

The rules include limiting the distance F-22 planes, which have never been used in combat, can travel from airstrips.

Panetta, however, did not rule out grounding the jets again if necessary, The BBC reports.

According to the report, the safety precautions mean the F-22 will have to abandon long-distance air patrol missions in Alaska, the Pentagon said.

Pentagon has also asked for a back-up oxygen system to be put into the planes, with the first of these due to be installed in December.

"We haven't determined the root cause. It could be something connected to the oxygen system," the report quoted Pentagon spokesman George Little, as saying.

"It could be other aspects of the aircraft that could contribute to hypoxia-like [oxygen-deprivation] events, whether it's G-forces, the altitude at which the plane flies," he added. (ANI)