News| Another F-35 Catches Fire Mid-Flight
Lockheed-Martin
5th Degree Burn.
Once again Lockheed-Martin’s F-35 fighter jet has caught fire, this time midflight. The $1.5 trillion dollar development program is no stranger to accidents as this is only the latest F-35 to catch fire. Officials describe the F-35’s weapons bay being set ablaze during a training mission over Beaufort, South Carolina.
“The aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries sustained. An investigation is ongoing and we will provide updates as they are available.”
– 1st Lt. John Roberts (2nd Marine Aircraft Wing)
The damage inflicted upon this is list as a Class-A mishap by the Naval Safety Center and will cost upwards of $2 million to repair. Officials have said that the rest of the F-35 fleet will not be grounded while the investigation is underway.
The F-35 program has been running over budget, issues with fires, coolant tubes, and faulty ejection seats. Lockheed-Martin has also lost key part suppliers and is calling upon rival Mitsubishi to aid in the development of the F-35. Testing will resume on the F-35 though a projected completion date has not been set.
