A US F-35B fighter jet worth $109 million crashed.

A fifth-generation F-35B fighter jet of the United States crashed in California. The pilot managed to eject from the aircraft using the ejection seat system, and it was reported that there is no threat to his life. Al Jazeera reported on this.

 

According to the U.S. Marine Corps, the incident occurred near Miramar Air Base in San Diego. The pilot was taken to a medical facility from the scene. It was stated that his condition is stable and that he sustained injuries that do not pose a threat to life.

 

Aerial footage from the scene shows thick black smoke rising from the field where the aircraft crashed. Military personnel, fire and rescue units, and specialized equipment were deployed to the scene. Rescuers carried out efforts to extinguish the grass fire that broke out following the crash.

 

Miramar Air Base previously hosted the U.S. Navy's famous Top Gun fighter pilot school. This school was relocated to Fallon Air Base in Nevada in 1996.

 

The F-35B is a modification of the F-35 family with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities. The cost of one such aircraft is approximately $109 million.

 

According to a 2024 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), more than 630 F-35 aircraft are in service within the U.S. Armed Forces. Plans are in place to purchase more than 1,800 additional aircraft in the future, and the total value of the entire F-35 program is expected to reach nearly $2 trillion.

 

According to the Aviation Safety Network, part of the Flight Safety Foundation, this was at least the eighth military aircraft to crash in the United States this year. The largest aviation disaster occurred in June in the Mojave Desert in California, where a B-52 strategic bomber crashed, resulting in the deaths of all eight people on board.