An F-35 fighter jet operated by the U.S. Air Force sustained damage by crashing while executing a landing during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday. The aircraft’s pilot conducted a safe ejection before designated medical teams brought him to Bassett Army Hospital for medical check up.
The 354th Fighter Wing’s commander Colonel Paul Townsend reported the plane’s “in-flight malfunction” caused the accident. The aircraft sustaining “significant damage” cost the Air Force a total of $80 million while the incident stays under investigation for its exact cause.
Townsend declared the Air Force will conduct an extensive probe to prevent similar incidents from happening again. 
As the U.S. defense market’s most costly program to date the F-35 generates approximately 30% earnings for Lockheed Martin’s budget. The aviation incident arises precisely when Lockheed needs prosperous results to meet its 2025 profit projections following the F-35 upgrade program setbacks.
The F-35 fleet faces growing doubts about its reliability because the Pentagon intends to invest $1.7 trillion across 2,500 aircraft acquisitions.
Future aerospace operations will benefit from safer procedures as authorities use flight recordings alongside debris analysis to pinpoint the equipment failure’s original causes.
