U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has approved an Air Force plan to start lifting flight restrictions on the F-22 fighter jet, following the correction of oxygen-supply problems that restricted and sometimes grounded the fleet of advanced airplanes for months. Pentagon chief spokesman George Little said Tuesday that Panetta also has authorized the deployment of a squadron of F-22s to Kadena Air Base in Japan. In May, Panetta ordered that F-22 flights remain “within proximity of potential landing locations" so pilots could land quickly if they experienced a lack of oxygen. The Air Force is in the process of correcting pilot vests that were contributing to the problem.
