Crashed F-35: What to know about the high-tech jet that often doesn't work correctly
Story by Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY •
21h
The fighter jet that crashed miles after its pilot ejected over South Carolina has been touted as redefining modern American warfare, but it also comes with a price tag easily over $100 million and questions about it even being mission capable.
Last Sunday, a Marine Corps pilot was flying an F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet at about 1,000 feet near Charleston International Airport when he ejected and parachuted into a backyard in North Charleston. The plane kept flying for 60 miles, crashing in a field in Indiantown, South Carolina.
The F-35, made by Lockheed Martin, uses new technology that can fly stealthily past enemy radar and defense while integrating nearby allied F-35 jet systems to piece real-time maps together that all planes can use. The aircraft can then direct their own missiles – or those from other planes, ships, submarines or ground stations – to targets they’ve identified while airborne.
The Pentagon purchased jets in three styles: F-35A for the Air Force, F-35B for the Marines, and F-35C for the Navy. The F-35B can take off and land vertically, similar to how a helicopter takes off and lands.
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