Weight-saving measures for F-35 made the jet 25% more vulnerable to exploding in mid-air

A report by DOT&E said the F-35 is more vulnerable to exploding in mid-air after being hit as engineers shed weight from the aircraft.
For example, nine pounds of fueldraulic fuses and two pounds of coolant shutoff valves were removed, but ballistic tests showed a Polyalphaolefin-based fire when hit could incapacitate the pilot and aircraft.

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