A Marine Corps F-35B Joint Strike Fighter caught fire in mid-air, causing at least two million dollars in damage to the aircraft. The aircraft landed safely and the pilot was unharmed. It's the third fire for the controversial jet.

The incident took place on October 27th, when a F-35B part of Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 caught fire in the internal weapons bay. The F-35 has two internal bays, meant to hide weapons inside the aircraft's bulk and preserve the plane's stealthy form.

The cause of the fire was unknown but the accident is under investigation. The accident was classified as a "Class A," which means that at least two million dollars' worth of damage was estimated to have been done to the aircraft.

This is the third fire in three years for the F-35. In 2014, an Air Force F-35A caught fire at Eglin Air Force base while preparing for takeoff. On September 23rd of this year another F-35A caught fire during aircraft startup.

It's unclear whether or not the $100 million dollar fighter in this latest incident can return to service. The pilot was able to land the aircraft safely, which suggests the aircraft's ability to fly wasn't too badly compromised. As Military.com reports, the aircraft's squadron didn't stand down for safety, which also implies the Marines—and the broader multinational F-35 program—know the general cause of the fire and are confident it's not a fleet-wide problem. We'll find out when the investigation is complete and the accident report comes out.

Source: Military.com

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io