Posted on 09/28/2018 1:19:02 PM PDT by DFG
A US F-35 pilot was forced to eject midair after the $100million fighter jet crashed in South Carolina.
The aircraft was completely destroyed in the crash during a training exercise Friday, officials said.
The crash appears to be the first of its kind for the troubled F-35 program, marking an unfortunate moment for the most expensive plane in history.
Speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of an official announcement, a defense official told AFP that the Marine Corps F-35 had crashed outside Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Oops. Glad the pilot got out safely. Will this money-pit ever work?
Does anyone know where John McCain was?
Snicker...
Truthfully, it’s only a few million more than a Super Hornet. Heck, F-14s were $40 million back in the 80s. That’s $93 million today.
After?
I wasn’t there, but I’d say he probably ejected before the crash.
I hope the pilot in it when it crashes the second time is as safe.
We really need to develop pilotless jet fighters, controlled remotely. Don’t have to worry about g forces on the pilots and could greatly reduce systems needed to maintain a human pilot. Could push performance beyond what a human could withstand.
Since it was the Marine Corps version, I wonder if it had an issue while in hover mode. Just like the Harrier, its amazing that a jet can hover and land vertically like that, but it makes them extremely vulnerable if something goes wrong in that phase.
Huh. So how many times did the plane crash, anyway?
“....Will this money-pit ever work?”
Basically it has to. We have so much money in the program we have to follow through.
I wouldn’t want to be tooling around in an F35-B with a salvage title myself, but that’s just me I guess.
If it’s the pilot’s fault, he’s in deep doo doo.
If it’s the aircraft’s fault, the pilot is in deep doo doo.
5.56mm
These are not express buses ya just whip around in.. they do crash occasionally, like buses, pilot or driver error or not. Buses just don’t have ejector seats or cost over 100 million a pop.
Did the plane crash into a cloud? That’s the only way the pilot could eject in mid air AFTER crashing.
The crash totally destroyed the plane. The author said this was the first time it crashed. When was the second time the totally destroyed plane crashed?
The Marines are the only people nuts enough to fly the Harrier...
I know, but did you miss this in the headline:
“... for the first time ...”
The Brits invented them and flew them.
McD re-invented them and brought the Brits back on board.
I think some other nations are buying the older AV-8Bs as we and the Brits retire them.
I saw this ON PBS many years ago in high school. It’s called the Death Spiral... aka money pit.
https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/battle-x-planes/
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