F-35 fighter jet crashes in Alaska — what was the cause

A single-seat F-35 fighter jet crashed in the United States during a training exercise in Alaska. The pilot was able to eject from the aircraft and survived.

This was reported by the Associated Press on Wednesday, January 29.

The cause of the fighter jet crash in the United States

According to the newspaper, the pilot experienced an "in-flight malfunction" during the exercise, but was able to eject. Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the 354th Fighter Wing, added that the plane crashed while landing at Eielson Air Force Base. The aircraft was heavily damaged.

"Before the crash, the pilot declared an in-flight emergency and is in stable condition and being examined at a medical facility," AP said.

Col. Townsend also noted that a thorough investigation of the crash will be conducted. According to him, the Air Force must minimize the likelihood of this happening again.

What is known about the Eilson base

According to the AP, Eielson Air Force Base is located about 40 kilometers south of Fairbanks. In 2016, It was decided that a total of 54 F-35s would be stationed there. More than half a billion dollars have been allocated to expand the base.

The F-35 can fly for more than 12 hours at a time. This makes it possible to reach any point in the northern hemisphere in a single flight.

As a reminder, Ukraine will receive fourth-generation Mirage 2000-5 fighters from France. The planes are to be delivered by the end of March this year.

For the first time in history, an F-16 fighter pilot destroyed six targets in one combat mission. The Ukrainian pilot was able to do this during a massive shelling.