A U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter aircraft crashed near Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort in South Carolina on Sept. 28.

According to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, the crash was reported about 11:45 a.m. near the Grays Hill community on Little Barnwell Island and the pilot of the F-35B ejected safely and is currently being evaluated for injuries at a nearby medical facility. It added that the scene of the crash is secured and that there were no other reported injuries.

Authorities asked people to avoid the area as the emergency services personnel are assessing the area for safety.

BCSO: Military Plane Crash: Pilot safely ejected, rescued and is being evaluated for injuries. No other injuries reported. https://t.co/xGZQuRkDKQ — Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office,SC (@bcsopio) September 28, 2018

F-35B is the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 Lightning II, which is considered as the most expensive weapon program in American military history. While the F-35 jet has experienced minor mishaps in the past, this is the first time an aircraft has crashed. In April, a Marine F-35B was forced to make an emergency landing at Cherry Point, North Carolina, after the aircraft began leaking fuel.

MCAS Beaufort is home to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501) “Warlords.” VMFAT-501 is a training squadron of the U.S. Marine Corps, consisting of 20 F-35B Lightning II aircraft and serves as the Fleet Replacement Squadron.

The crash comes just one day after the first combat strike of a USMC F-35B in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility. The strike was in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel in Afghanistan and was conducted on Sept. 27.

Earlier today, it was announced that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Lockheed Martin had finalized an $11.5 billion contract for the production and delivery of 141 F-35 fighter aircraft at the lowest per aircraft price in program history. The contract forms the Low-Rate Initial Production Lot 11 (LRIP 11) and unit price of the F-35B quoted was $115.5 million which represented a 5.7 percent reduction from the $122.4 million it cost for the short-takeoff and landing (STOL) variant in LRIP 10.

Reports are also coming in of the first landing of an F-35B on the UK Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, for the first time. The UK MoD is yet to confirm the development.





