Marine F-35B Damaged When Ammunition Round Exploded As It Left The GAU-22 Gun Pod Under The Fuselage
March 24, 2021 F-35, Military Aviation, Weapons
David Cenciotti
The F-35B was damaged by the explosion of the ammunition round leaving the aircraft’s GAU-22 gun pod during a nighttime mission out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona.
An F-35B with VMX-1, the U.S. Marine Corps’ test and evaluation squadron based at MCAS (Marine Corps Air Station) Yuma, Arizona, was damaged during a night CAS (Close Air Support) mission on Mar. 12, 2021. According to Military.com’s Oriana Pawlyk, who was the first to report about the mishap, the F-35B was operating over the Yuma Range Complex, when a PGU-32/U Semi-Armor Piercing High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer (SAPHEI-T) 25mm round exploded after leaving the fighter’s GAU-22 gun pod.
The aircraft landed safely and the mishap did not result in any injury to personnel, however, it was given the most severe classification, Class A, which means a damage of at least 2.5M USD or the loss of the airframe.
An investigation is ongoing and, at present, it’s not even clear whether the round was fired deliberately.
https://theaviationist.com/2021/03/24/marine-f-35b-damaged-when-ammunition-round-exploded-as-it-left-the-gau-22-gun-pod-under-the-fuselage/
