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Shocking video captured an F-35 fighter jet plummeting onto the runway and bursting into flames during a training exercise at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska early Tuesday afternoon.
The footage, shared on social media, shows the $81 million jet spiraling to the ground after the pilot ejected from the aircraft and floated safely onto the runway thanks to their parachute.
Even so, the pilot was transported to the Bassett Army Hospital for observation, according to a press release from the 354th Fighter Wing’s public affairs office.
The pilot experienced an “inflight malfunction” before the crash, Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, said at a press briefing.
As the wreckage continues to be cleaned up, Wing officials have warned against stopping on the nearby highway to ogle at the remains and noted that photography along the section nearest to the base is prohibited under federal law.
“Our people are our most important resource, and we are committed in ensuring their safety and security. I can assure you the United States Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again,” Townsend said in the statement.
F-35 jet manufacturer Lockheed Martin has come under fire for cutting corners in its production of the aircraft while still making it obscenely expensive.
The price of the fighter jet has been cut in recent years, dropping from roughly $135.8 million each in 2021 to $81 million in 2024 per a preliminary deal between the US Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin.
In November, Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk slammed the Pentagon’s F-35 program for its shoddy execution and promised to cut federal spending for it.
“The F-35 design was broken at the requirements level, because it was required to be too many things to too many people. This made it an expensive & complex jack of all trades, master of none. Success was never in the set of possible outcomes,” Musk wrote on X.
“And manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway,” Musk added. “Will just get pilots killed.”
Musk asserted that the future of warfare lies in drone-oriented weaponry, including fighter jets.
The F-35 program is expected to run through 2088 with costs anticipated to exceed $2 trillion, according to the US Government Accountability Office.
With Post wires
