A U.S. Air Force pilot ejected safely from an F-35 fighter jet on Tuesday following experiencing an “inflight malfunction” during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The pilot, whose name has not been released, declared an emergency before the aircraft crashed during its landing phase, according to Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing.
The crash, which happened in the early afternoon, caused damage to the aircraft. However, the pilot was reported to be in stable condition and was undergoing medical evaluation. Townsend said in an official statement, “Safety is our priority, and we will conduct a thorough investigation in hopes of minimizing the chances of such occurrences from happening again”.
Eielson Air Force Base, located about 25 miles (40 km) south of Fairbanks, has been a key hub for F-35 operations since 2016 when it was selected to host 54 of the advanced stealth fighters. The expansion, costing over half a billion dollars, brought in 3,500 active-duty airmen and their families. The crash in Alaska marks the 11th reported F-35 incident since 2018, highlighting concerns about the jet’s reliability and safety. The aircraft, developed by Lockheed Martin under the Joint Strike Fighter program, has been in full-rate production since 2021, but multiple crashes and technical failures have plagued its history.
Despite being one of the most advanced fighter jets, the F-35 program has been plagued by reliability and maintenance challenges. A 2024 report from the U.S. Director of Operational Test and Evaluation found that F-35s were mission-ready only 51% of the time, falling short of the 65% goal. The report highlighted issues with reliability, maintenance, and operational suitability, which continue to impact the fleet’s effectiveness.
Similarly, a 2023 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report warned that the cost to sustain the F-35 fleet had soared from $1.1 trillion in 2018 to $1.58 trillion in 2023. The report noted that the Pentagon had reduced flight hours for the fleet due to reliability concerns.
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