A United States Air Force pilot has been hospitalized after ejecting from an F-35 fighter jet that crashed at the Eielson Air Force Base, about 25 miles southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, the air base announced on Tuesday.
The F-35 Lightning II aircraft crashed at 12:49 p.m. Alaskan time into the fence line of the base.
The pilot was transferred to the Bassett Army Hospital at Fort Wainwright after ejecting from the aircraft safely before the crash occurred, and is reportedly in stable condition, according to local media.
The Eielson Air Force base holds two squadrons of F-35s, with a total of 54 fighter jets.
“Our people are our most important resource, and we are committed in ensuring their safety and security,” Commander of the 354th Fighter Wing in the US Air Force, Col. Paul Townsend, said in a statement. “I can assure you the United States Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again.”
During a press conference, Townsend told reporters that the pilot was participating in a training when he was alerted of the in-flight malfunction.
The video of the crash captures the moment the pilot has already ejected from the F-35, while the aircraft spirals out of control into the ground, erupting into a plume of smoke.
Longer Footage of the F-35A Crash earlier today at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. pic.twitter.com/9OPksbTYWj
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 29, 2025
In 2024, the US Marine Corps investigated a missing F-35 fighter jet from 2023 after it had only been flying for 11 minutes and crashed, according to CBS News. The aircraft pilot ejected as the jet went down. The investigation found that the crash was due to a pilot error.
What is the F-35 fighter jet?
The Lockheed Martin aircraft, considered to be the most advanced fighter jet, according to f-35.com, belongs to a family of single-seat, single-engine supersonic stealth fighter jets. Designed for versatile combat roles, it excels in both air superiority and strike missions while also featuring advanced electronic warfare, intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
The F-35 comes in three different models, the A, B, and C. The F-35 A is the latest fifth-generation fighter jet and is replacing the F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt II’s, which have been the Air Force’s main fighter jets for over 20 years, the Eielson Air Force Base fact sheet explains.
The A model is the most common variant that is operated by the US Air Force and some of the allies of the US.
The advancement of technology in the aircraft allows for incredible outcomes. According to f-35.com, the F-35 Helmet Mounted Display, or HMD, is “one of the most advanced pieces of technology” in the world.
“The information a pilot needs to complete any mission – airspeed, heading, altitude, targeting information and warnings – is projected on the helmet’s visor, rather than on a traditional Heads-Up Display,” the infographic reads.
The helmet was created in a joint effort between Elbit Systems and Rockwell Collins.
The HMD allows video imagery during the day and at night, “combined with precision symbology, to give the pilot unpresented situational awareness and tactical capability,” Elbit Systems official site explains.
The fighter jet is also the first tactical fighter jet in 50 years to fly without a virtual Head-Up Display, according to Elbit System.
The fighter jet’s supersonic speed reaches a top speed of Mach 1.6 or 1,227.63 miles per hour. It’s also a long-range fighter jet with a full arsenal of internal weapons, such as Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) a long range cruise missile, or Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), a stealth air launch anti-ship missile.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
