- A pilot ejected from his F-35B Lightning II jet following a “mishap” throughout a Sunday coaching flight.
- Whereas the pilot was unhurt, the jet was misplaced and has not but been recovered by officers.
- The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program is the DOD’s costliest at $1.7 trillion.
An costly F-35 jet has been misplaced someplace in South Carolina following a coaching mishap.
A Marine Corps pilot was flying one of many nation’s costliest fighters close to Joint Base Charleston on Sunday afternoon when an unknown drawback occurred, forcing the pilot to desert the plane and eject.
“We will verify a mishap involving an F-35B Lightning II jet from Marine Fighter Assault Coaching Squadron (VMFAT) 501 with the 2nd Marine Plane Wing,” a United States Marine Corps spokesperson instructed Insider. “The pilot safely ejected from the plane. We’re at the moment nonetheless gathering extra data and assessing the state of affairs. The mishap might be beneath investigation.”
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program is the Division of Protection’s costliest weapon system program, in keeping with the US Authorities Accountability Workplace. Per the GAO, officers estimate it is going to value American taxpayers about $1.7 trillion to “purchase, function, and maintain the plane and techniques over its lifetime.” A single Marine Corps F-35B prices $135.8 million, in keeping with a 2020 report from the Challenge On Authorities Oversight.
The pilot, after ejecting, was present in a residential neighborhood close to South Kenwood Drive in North Charleston and transported to an area medical middle in secure situation, in keeping with native information outlet WCBD. His wingman safely landed in a separate plane, the outlet reported.
Representatives for Joint Base Charleston didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Insider however posted on X that officers have been working with Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to find the misplaced F-35. Particulars relating to the coaching train that prompted the mishap are at the moment beneath investigation.
In response to a former take a look at pilot, F-35 jets — Lockheed Martin’s fifth-generation stealth plane — are supposed for air superiority and strike missions, Insider beforehand reported, and are “designed exactly” to combat and win within the type of struggle taking place in Ukraine. The US Air Power deployed F-35s to NATO’s entrance line to patrol for Russian missiles following the invasion of Ukraine.
Whereas every plane has varied weaponry configurations, the jets have a robust digital intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance suite. In a configuration generally known as “beast mode,” which Insider beforehand reported sacrifices stealth for firepower, F-35s might be geared up with laser-guided bombs on their wings, and an AIM-9 air-to-air heat-seeking missile.
