(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — An F-35C Lightning II fighter aircraft belonging to the United States Marine Corps experienced a landing gear malfunction, resulting in the aircraft sustaining damage as its nose gear failed, causing the front of the aircraft to impact the ground.
At the time of the incident, the fighter jet was inside a hangar following a training mission.
According to The Aviationist, the F-35C in question was operated by the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 311 and was located at the Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada during the incident.
A reader of the website submitted photographs of the incident involving the advanced fighter jet.
These images appear to be authentic, and based on the information obtained, the incident involved an F-35C with the airframe designation CF-89/170109, coded “WL-04”.
The aircraft was placed in the hangar to shelter from the hot weather after returning from a training mission on January 26, 2024.
The Aviationist reports that after the pilot shut down the engine without any issues, the pilot descended from the aircraft using a ladder, and it was at this point that the landing gear failed, causing the front part of the aircraft to impact the ground.
This marks the first instance of such an incident involving the landing gear failure on an F-35C model, with previous reports of landing gear issues being limited to the F-35A and F-35B variants.
The fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet, developed by Lockheed Martin, is available in three variants: A, B, and C.
The F-35A variant employs conventional takeoff and landing, the F-35B variant utilizes VSTOL (Vertical Short Take-Off and Landing) technology, allowing for vertical or short runway takeoffs and landings, and the F-35C variant is designed for operation from aircraft carriers.
Regarding the F-35C variant, which is said to be the most expensive and advanced compared to the other variants, it is designed for operation on aircraft carriers.
Currently, only the United States utilizes the F-35C variant, as it does not sell this particular model to foreign countries.
As of now, the United States Marine Corps has not issued any statements regarding the incident involving the combat aircraft, valued at over $100 million, and its landing gear damage. — DSA