F-35 Stealth Fighter Simply Suffered One other Main Crash

A US Navy F-35 fighter jet crashed in California on Thursday, marking one other accident for the stealth fighter jet, the second this yr.

Naval Air Station Lemoore mentioned in a press release on Wednesday that an F-35C “went down” not removed from the central California base at 6:30 p.m. native time. “We will affirm the pilot efficiently ejected and is protected. There aren’t any extra affected personnel,” it mentioned.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Workplace shared video footage displaying a fiery wreck, with a thick plume of black smoke rising from a cotton area simply north of the bottom.

Officers mentioned that emergency first responders discovered the pilot together with his parachute in a close-by area. He was taken to a hospital and is anticipated to be okay, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned in a press release.

It is unclear why the plane crashed and whether or not it was a mechanical failure or pilot error. NAS Lemoore didn’t instantly reply to Enterprise Insider’s request for added info. The sheriff’s workplace mentioned the navy is investigating the incident.

The F-35C is the Navy’s variant of the stealth fighter and is able to carrier-based takeoffs and landings. The Air Pressure operates the F-35A variant, which does typical takeoff and touchdown, whereas the Marines fly the F-35B, a brief takeoff and vertical touchdown variant that was constructed for brief runways, amphibious assault ships, and sure carriers.

A have a look at the F-35’s crash historical past

This week’s crash marks one other main accident for the Lockheed Martin-produced F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the US navy’s second fifth-generation plane and the Pentagon’s most costly weapons program. This airplane is extensively considered a cornerstone of US airpower.

Over 1,100 F-35s have been delivered to the US and its allies because the first fighter rolled off the manufacturing facility flooring almost 20 years in the past. With lots of of hundreds of flight hours logged, the handful of crashes the jet has seen yields a comparatively low incident price. Nonetheless, the incidents are noteworthy.

Listed below are a few of the larger ones within the jet’s historical past:

The primary F-35 crash occurred in South Carolina in 2018. The pilot, a Marine flying the B variant, ejected safely after the airplane suffered a mechanical subject.

In 2019, a Japanese F-35A crashed into the Pacific Ocean after the pilot misplaced spatial consciousness. His stays have been recovered later, however the jet was by no means totally recovered, just some particles.

The US noticed two F-35 crashes within the subsequent yr. An F-35A crashed whereas touchdown at Florida’s Eglin Air Pressure Base. The pilot ejected and survived. Pilot fatigue, amongst different points, was blamed for the crash. Later within the yr, an F-35B crashed after hitting a tanker plane throughout midair refueling. The pilot ejected and was injured.

In 2021, a pilot working a British F-35B off the plane provider HMS Queen Elizabeth was pressured to bail out of the cockpit throughout flight operations within the Mediterranean Sea. The incident was brought on by an engine-blanking plug within the consumption.

A number of F-35s crashed the next yr in 2022. An F-35C suffered a ramp strike whereas touchdown on the plane provider USS Carl Vinson, leaving a number of sailors damage. Months later, an F-35A crashed at Utah’s Hill Air Pressure Base. And some weeks after that, an F-35B crashed at Texas’ Reserve Base Fort Price. In all three circumstances, the pilots ejected safely.

In 2023, an F-35B crashed in South Carolina throughout a coaching mishap. The pilot ejected, and the airplane continued flying on autopilot. The wreckage was discovered the next day.

In 2024, an F-35B take a look at jet crashed in New Mexico, critically injuring the pilot. And earlier this yr, an F-35A crashed at Alaska’s Eielson Air Pressure base; the pilot ejected, and the airplane then fell out of the sky and exploded.

The F-35 has confronted criticism all through its growth for technological integration points, rising prices, and readiness and sustainability issues, a few of which persist immediately.

Critics in President Donald Trump’s orbit, like Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk or Laura Loomer, have taken swings on the F-35, arguing that it gives lower than drones do and that this system has been an actual failure for the navy. Others, together with lawmakers in Congress, have raised issues over delays with the TR-3 and Block IV upgrades. Air Pressure officers have cited these issues in choices to scale back F-35 buys in price range proposals.

The jet, nevertheless, gives a variety of high-end capabilities past these of another nation’s fifth-gen plane, and Trump has indicated he’s prepared to proceed supporting this system and upgrades to the airplane. The F-35 serves as a complicated airpower functionality whereas work on a brand new sixth-generation fighter will get underway.