South Korean Air Force officials Monday blamed flawed US-made parts for causing an accidental missile fire from an F5E fighter jet while taking off late last month.
"Power supply units of the jet's left missile launcher turned out to be loose, causing a short circuit and automatically and abnormally discharging the missile," said South Korean Air Force Lieutenant General Cha Jong-Kwon, who led a 10-day investigation of the accident.
Cha said Air Force authorities imposed a temporary ban on missals backed by the flawed power supply units of Entron Industries based in New York, until technicians finish safety checkups.
South Korean defense ministry officials said the government was considering filing a damages lawsuit against the US firm.
A South Korean F5E jet fighter accidentally fired an AIM-9 air-to-air missile over the West Sea right after taking off from an air base near Kunsan on the western coast on a training mission on January 29.
The missile caused no damage or injuries as it was presumed to have landed in water, officials said – SEOUL (AFP)
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