The US Department of Defence has reported that a routine review at the Hill Air Base in Utah found rust in F-35s. The Ministry froze the air force's program for 30 days. Corrosion traces exceeding the limits allowed by the standards appeared at the site where the outer panel made of carbon fiber was joined to the aluminium casing. It was stated that the protective layer to be applied to the junction point could prevent rusting. Joe DellaVedova, the spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office, said that Lockheed Martin was responsible for the rust and “The flaws that need to be corrected are not a threat to the flight safety and operations of the F-35.”