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F-35B Aircraft Crashes in New Mexico; Pilot Safely Ejects
The F-35 takes another black eye
Lockheed-Martin F22 Raptor . Taking off while on a visit to RAF (US) Lakenheath. Eastern England. ( A ground to Air Photo.)
Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the F-35, confirmed that the pilot of an F-35B aircraft safely ejected after it crashed in New Mexico on Tuesday.
The F-35B, a development test aircraft owned by Lockheed Martin, was enroute from Fort Worth, Texas, to Edwards Air Force Base, California, when the incident occurred after a refueling stop at Kirtland Air Force Base.
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The cause of the crash remains unknown, and no further details were provided about the condition of the pilot.
However, KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported that the pilot was conscious and breathing and taken to a hospital for evaluation.
The F-35B is a Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft primarily used by the Marine Corps.
The crash underscores the inherent risks involved in the testing and development of advanced military aircraft, despite rigorous safety protocols.
