A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II’s nostril cone was broken after making a fast touchdown in Okinawa, Japan, on Thursday, the service stated.
Maj. Roberto Martins, a spokesman for 1st Marine Plane Wing, informed Navy.com in an emailed assertion on Thursday night time that the pilot was flying out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and needed to make a “precautionary touchdown” at Kadena Air Base “on account of a suspected electrical subject.”
After touching down on the Air Power base’s runway, the stealth fighter’s touchdown gear failed whereas being towed to the flight line.
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“Whereas being towed the entrance touchdown gear malfunctioned inflicting the nostril of the plane to the touch the bottom,” Martins stated. “There are not any accidents because of the touchdown gear malfunction, and an in depth investigation might be carried out.”
Footage from Japanese public broadcaster NHK confirmed the F-35’s nostril dipped onto the runway and the entrance touchdown gear collapsed.
It isn’t but clear what {the electrical} points had been, how a lot harm was executed to the plane or what the price might be to restore it.
Up to now, in 2022, the Marine Corps has reported a complete of 5 Class A plane mishaps — the classification the navy makes use of for its most dangerous and most costly crashes. It is unclear what categorization Thursday’s incident will obtain.
The F-35 Lightning II was first cleared to be used in coaching in 2012 and is flown by the Marine Corps, Air Power and the Navy. It is likely one of the most superior aircrafts within the Pentagon’s arsenal, possessing stealth know-how for reconnaissance, intelligence and digital warfare which have earned it the nickname “the flying pc.” Some variants even have vertical takeoff and touchdown capabilities.
However this system has been criticized over the past decade by many in Washington for its excessive prices and frequent technical and mechanical points.
A U.S. Authorities Accountability Workplace report earlier this 12 months stated that the Division of Protection presently has 450 F-35s and plans to have about 2,500 in whole. However the F-35’s mission-capable price — the share of time that the plane can fly and carry out at the least one mission — declined between Fiscal 12 months 2020 and FY 2021 on account of mechanical points.
“One main purpose is that an growing variety of F-35s haven’t been capable of fly, as a result of they do not have a working engine,” the GAO report from April 28 stated.
The touchdown gear mishap marks the latest subject with an F-35 Lightning II variant this 12 months.
In October, an F-35A Lightning II crashed at Hill Air Power Base in Utah, forcing the pilot to eject and inflicting wildfires on the bottom.
In late July, Air Fight Command stood-down its fleet of F-35As after a recall associated to the plane’s ejection seats anxious officers. By mid-August, the fighter jets had been again within the air.
— Thomas Novelly may be reached at thomas.novelly@navy.com. Comply with him on Twitter @TomNovelly.
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