On September 17, an F-35B STOVL (short take-off, vertical landing) fighter jet operated by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) was involved in what was ever so euphemistically called a "mishap" after taking off from Air Station Beaufort in North Charleston, South Carolina. The USMC was unable to locate the aircraft so it asked the public for help, unleashing a torrent of ridicule and memes not just in the US, but also around the world. The pilot ejected, but the jet continued flying in a rather frantic flight path, eventually crashing approximately 130 km from where the ejection took place. The cause of the crash is still being investigated, but the pattern suggests that it might have been the unresolved software issues that have resulted in several similar crashes in the past.
Last year alone, at least four F-35s crashed, including two in January, in a time span of just three weeks, while another two were lost in October and December respectively. Of well over a dozen crashes and various incidents, the majority have been the F-35B variant, the most complex of the existing three, with the rest being the F-35A (developed for the US Air Force) and at least one F-35C (developed for the US Navy). The main reason why the latter hasn't had as many incidents is probably because it was inducted into service only in 2019, years after the other two officially became part of the US military. The aircraft is infamous for at least 800 flaws, particularly within its software systems and subsystems, often resulting in unresponsive flight controls.
The F-35's core design has been controversial since its very inception, as the jet sacrificed robustness for (over)focus on sensors and computing power. Its supersensitive systems and subsystems simply cannot withstand even basic flight conditions, while the most mundane changes in weather (anything from a drizzle to a regular thunderstorm) have been an almost insurmountable obstacle for the F-35. (more...)
Yet another embarrassing episode for 'the best fighter jet ever made'
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