The $120 million jet fighter Australia has on order has been grounded by the US military.
The decision follows an engine fire in a US Air Force F-35 as it took off from a base in Florida two weeks ago.
The aircraft was substantially damaged after the blaze was extinguished by a ground firefighting crew.
Following an initial assessment US air force and navy technical bodies ordered all F-35 aircraft grounded.
US Defense Department spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said the root cause of the incident remained under investigation.
Additional inspections of F-35 engines have been ordered.
The return of the fighters to operation will be determined by inspection results and analysis of engineering data.
Australia is buying up to 100 of the advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft in a deal worth as much as $16 billion.
The first will be rolled out of the Lockheed Martin plant at Fort Worth, Texas, later in July.
The F-35 is produced in three versions - the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing version which Australia is buying; short takeoff and vertical landing variant for the US Marines, UK and Italy; and a carrier version for the US Navy.
So far just over 100 F-35 aircraft have been produced for US and foreign customers. All remain in the US for training and flight testing.
Investigation of the fire at Eglin has centred on the aircraft's Pratt and Whitney engine and its makers are working with the US Air Force Safety Investigation Board.
While the F-35 program has experienced technical problems and delays no aircraft has yet been lost.
This is apparently the most serious mishap and would most likely have resulted in loss of the aircraft had it occurred in flight.
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