A US Air Force F-35 fighter jet crashed during a training exercise at Alaskaโs Eielson Air Force Base on Tuesday, but the pilot ejected safely, as per base officials.
U.S. Air Force Colonel Paul Towsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, stated in a news conference that the pilot encountered an โin-flight malfunctionโ but was able to eject safely.
The crash occurred while landing during a training exercise, as per the report. In a statement, Eielson Air Force Base said that the incident on Tuesday afternoon resulted in โsignificant damageโ to the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
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However, according to the statement, the pilot was safe and taken to Bassett Army Hospital.
โI can assure you the United States Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation in hopes to minimise the chances of such occurrences from happening again,โ Townsend said in the statement.
As the most expensive U.S. defence initiative, the F-35 serves as Lockheed Martinโs primary revenue driver, contributing around 30% of its bottom line.
Earlier, Lockheed said it would be less profitable than expected in 2025, in part because of a delayed rollout of upgrades to the F-35.
The Pentagon plans to spend $1.7 trillion on the F-35 programme, including buying 2,500 planes in the coming decades.
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