F-35B havarert i USA - SkyNews

US F-35 stealth fighter crashes for first time in history of programme

The British government will buy dozens of the same type of jet - which has never crashed before.

07:33, UK,Sunday 30 September 2018

Image:Smoke rises at the site of the F-35 jet crash in Beaufort, South Carolina

By Lucia Binding, news reporter

A F-35B fighter jet has been completely destroyed after a crash during a US Marine Corps training exercise in South Carolina.

The F-35B's pilot ejected the jet and survived the crash, which is the first in the history of the hugely expensive weapons programme.

"It's a total loss," a US Marine Corps official said.

Images posted on social media showed a plume of black smoke rising above the crash site in Beaufort.

The Marine Corps later confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the "pilot safely ejected from the single-seat aircraft and is currently being evaluated by medical personnel".

Image:The F-35B is used for short take-offs and vertical landings

Officials added that there were no civilian injuries.

Launched in the early 1990s, the F-35 is the largest and most expensive military programme of its type across the globe.

Unit costs vary, but F-35s cost around $100m (£76.6m) each.

Britain currently has 15 F-35Bs, but has pledged to purchase 138 in total from American aviation giant Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Accident (South Carolina)

Date:	28-SEP-2018
Time:	11:45 LT
Type:	Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II
Owner/operator:	US Marine Corps (USMC), VMFAT-501
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	W of Beaufort MCAS/Merritt Field (KNBC), Beaufort, SC -    United States of America
Phase:	Unknown
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:
The F-35 crashed during a training flight and the pilot ejected safely.