A US Navy F-35 fighter jet crashed  near Naval Air Station Lemoore in central California, a Navy official said. The pilot ejected safely and was subsequently airlifted to a local hospital for medical assessment. Video of the crash site by eyewitnesses showed thick smoke rising from the crash area, with emergency teams responding to a brush fire ignited by the crash. The reason behind the accident remains under investigation, and additional information will be available as officials continue to assess the situation.

About F-35

The F-35 is an advanced, single-seat fifth-generation stealth fighter jet designed for a range of missions such as air-to-air combat, ground attack, intelligence gathering, and electronic warfare. The F-35 integrates cutting-edge stealth features along with advanced technologies to enable operations within high-threat environments.

There are three primary variants of the F-35:

F-35A – Conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL)

F-35B – Short takeoffs and vertical landings (STOVL)

F-35C – Aircraft carrier operations

Previous Incidents

This isn’t the first F-35 crash. Previous crashes occurred in May and September 2020 and were associated with Eglin Air Force Base jets in Florida. Both of those crashes were investigated and attributed to a combination of technical issues and pilot error.

Officials are still monitoring the situation at Lemoore and have yet to provide the pilot’s name or additional details regarding potential injuries or damage beyond the fire.