An F-35 fighter jet has crashed at Naval Air Station Lemoore in central California, as per local media reports. While the pilot “successfully ejected and is safe”, no other personnel were affected. Visuals from the Lemoore Air Base show fire and smoke erupting from the crash site.

Media reports reveal that local authorities are working on contacting the pilot, but no updates have been received so far. California Fire Department and the sheriff department officials have reached the site to gauge the damage. The cause of the crash, however, is unknown and an investigation is underway.

According to the Navy press statement, cited by an ET report, the F-35 crashed at approximately 6:30 PM (local time) near the NAS. The fighter jet was assigned to strike Fighter Squadron VF-125, known as the “Rough Riders”, responsible for training F-35 pilots.

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This comes after the British Royal Navy F-35B was grounded at the Trivandrum Airport in Kerala for nearly a month. The aircraft, after making an unscheduled landing on June 14, days after the Air India Ahmedabad plane crash, raised eyebrows on its movement. However, it was marked as unserviceable and was charged more than Rs 26,000 a day for parking.

F35 program under scrutiny

Led by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 program has been under fire due to its repeated technical challenges that surface and the high costs associated with India. Moreover, this is not the second F-35 crash after Alaska in January; Japan and South Carolina witnessed a crash too.

India, on the other hand, is also in search of fifth-generation fighter jets. While no official statement of procurement has been made, India expressed interest in securing F-35 jets in a joint India-US defence cooperation. However, with US President Donald Trump’s tariff frenzy and the 25% tariff levied on India, ties seem to be severing between PM Modi and Trump.