Fighter jet crash in Albuquerque prompts questions on F-35 program

It's been more than 24 hours since an F-35B fighter jet crashed in Albuquerque. Crews are still working on cleaning up the crash site. Story: www.kob.com/ne...
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[@propblast82nd]

National media pretty quiet

[@DustDevilRage]

Pretty what?

[@mt_gox]

@@DustDevilRage huh?

[@DustDevilRage]

@@mt_gox no worries he edited it.

[@DustDevilRage]

@@mt_gox He had a spelling issue.

[@mt_gox]

@@DustDevilRage can't hear ya

[@Litvagopnik]

Crap reporting, crap reporters who barely understand what they're talking about.

[@davek9378]

Our local ‘news’ normally has at least 2 “quotes” from X (Twitter) or facebook per every ‘story’...that way you don’t have to go out and do any actual ‘reporting’...

[@JMHTruck32005]

You nailed it...

[@echetamadavidson9454]

American military fanboy spotted 🤡... Quit living in dreamland kid, IT CRASHED!!!, deal with it😂😂

[@BillDownhill]

What should they be talking about?

[@michaeldeierhoi4096]

The critics whining about the reporting on this story are wasting theirs and everyone else's time by not explaining what specifically they found wrong with the report.

[@Teefs143]

I can't see anything because it's stealth

[@toodlepop]

i remember in highschool, some of the guys would show up in camo hunting gear or whatever. i'm not totally sure why. but we used to pretend like they weren't there. and it was one of my favorite things.

[@dougaltolan3017]

That's the spirit! 😆

[@meunomeeplissken3088]

😂 melhor resposta

[@sagebrushalan]

Best type of stealth that it hides in a ball of fire and smoke

[@AKSP125]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@frankfeng4728]

The pilot has picked a good spot to avoid casualties.

[@ItsEricAZ]

We got lucky on this one as pilot bailed about 1/2 mile away just past the runway.

[@QWERDQ_]

What about $110 millions?

[@danieljurca2113]

i always head for the hills

@@QWERDQ_ cops cost us an extra $5 Billion on average every year to settle their screw ups. So $110,000,000 million is a drop in the bucket.,

[@LRRPFco52]

@@QWERDQ_ Lot 14 F-35Bs are only $101.3m each, which is not much in today's fighter business. UAE F-16E/F were $200m each. Rafale contract to India was $168m unit flyaway, $216m unit program cost. F-35A is $77.9m now, but will go up to $83m in Block 4.

[@aurorajones8481]

You guys are far to uppidy over this. You need to take history into account. Example: According to records, approximately 164 F-14 Tomcats were lost in non-combat incidents. This includes various types of accidents such as those occurring during training missions, operational flights, and other peacetime activities​. Chill out. It happens.

[@zachbowman9396]

And... How many of those accidents was from the TF-30 engines ?

[@anajeemcfarland1548]

Theyre just paraboid of everything now bcs of propaganda

[@pogo1140]

On it's first combat cruise which saw the F-14A flying air cover during the US evacuation from Saigon, the 2 F-14 squadrons were able to keep every single F-14 ready for combat with a mission readiness rate of 95-100%. Their mission was air to air combat and the pilots flew A2A training flights almost every single day from the time they left harbor to the time they arrived on station off Vietnam. The F-35 in it's entire history has never reached that mission readiness state for that length of time.

[@LRRPFco52]

​@@zachbowman9396F-14 Mishaps were a mix of FLCS failures (hydraulic leaks/fires), pilot error, engine blades coming loose and blowing through the fuselage and fuel cells, compressor stalls, falling off carrier decks, ocean spray/high wave splashes while canopy was open, and lost at sea/unknown status of aircrews/disappeared in wx. Took 40-60 wrench hours per flight hr to maintain. Hangar queen

[@LRRPFco52]

​@@pogo1140There's a great interview that dropped recently of an early F-14A pilot from that deployment. He said the pilots were even helping the maintainers trying to fix them it was so bad, most of the combat systems didn't even work, and the F-4Js were in much better shape operationally. Not sure where you read those mythical readiness rates, but they're fiction.

[@NeedSpeedRC]

Save the A-10!

[@dougaltolan3017]

While brrrrrt is undeniably fun, the A-10 really dosent suit the contamorary battlefield. Anti-aircraft technology has overtaken it.

[@karstendoerr5378]

@@dougaltolan3017 The question is also whether the F 35 has the same survivability as the A10. I don't think so.

[@Nurhaal]

​@karstendoerr5378 it has a much higher survivability. The A-10 was worse than. The F-111, F-15E and F-16C in every way when it came to CAS. Look at the GW After Action report for details. The A-10 is a flying tin can. I don't think people realize just how pathetic that bad ass gun of a plane actually is. The F-16 was the primary CAS platform for the USAF in the fighter role during recent conflicts especially in the Gulf War. Do people even know how limited the avionics in an A-10 are? The pilots still have to use eye pieces / binoculars to ID crap a lot of the time. Meanwhile the F-16 is flying angels 20 and at near Mach, delivers payload at a bullseye. And it's gun goes BRRRRT to just like the Avenger. The A-10 was built to strafe Russain armor if it rolled over western Europe thru the Fualda Gap, purely because we thought the Russains at the time ore 70s didn't have proper close ranged mechanized AAA - when they actually did. Meaning even if we used the A-10 for what it was made for? When it was brand new? They would've been shredded and marked a horrible waste of resources.

[@karstendoerr5378]

@@Nurhaal Here in Germany, they also want the Gepard anti-aircraft tank back because it is so successful in Ukraine. In times of air-to-ground missiles, however, it is actually outdated because the range of the missiles is far greater than that of the Gepard. This means that an enemy pilot doesn't even have to fly into the effective range.

[@Nurhaal]

@@karstendoerr5378 exactly, meaning the A-10 is useless and a waste of time whenever the F-16, 15, Typhoon? Ect, all can drop those same munitions from high altitude and at mach speeds. Flying faster and higher than the A-10 could even sniff means not just your missiles, but even your bombs go farther, increasing range. The A-10 is a hazard to fly in airspace that isn't secured. That's why in the Gulf War, A-10s were never used in Wild Weasel type roles. Yes they did have sorties vs SAMs but it was rare. F-16s, even the venerable and ancient F-4 Phantoms, were far better suited for deploying HARMs against triple A because they were faster and could fly higher when running. The A-10 has good loitering when in the AO, it's good for morale vs troop movements, that's the only reason why we kept it. But the F-16 outperformed the A-10 even in troop CAS. The F-35 is even better since it's sensors and stealth make it even MORE survivable than the F-16 is. I love the A-10, but it's gotta be the most overrated aircraft in the USAFs arsenal. There's a reason why we are retiring them.

[@johnofsometrades405]

I can't stand the negativity. This pilot is a hero, waiting to eject where it was the safest and not over homes or malls. He risked his life once again for the ungrateful. Don't defund the police, defund the media. Why hasn't there been too many used in war? Because we have the tech to keep our country safe. We see what open boarders do without protection. This military, these planes, these branches of service are risking their lives, gave their lives so these reporters can trash publicly in the media. People need to understand, with this military we have protection. With these officers the citizens have more protection than if their wasn't any officers. It takes the best vehicles, training and programs to keep the officers safe so the citizens are protected. The same goes with our military. It's because of the F22, F35, F15, A10 and all others we are feared and protected. Stop bashing on those we depend on, and praise that pilot he waited to bail where it was the safest and not over houses. He's a hero and risked his life once again for the ungrateful.

[@pogo1140]

Just a note. Sincer the USMC and USAF declared that their F-35 squadrons were fully combat ready and had deployed them over seas. The USAF and US Navy have sent A-10's, F-16's and F/A-18E's into Syria to engage in combat including shooting down Syrian aircraft and potentially engaging the latest Russian Sukhoi fighters including the SU-57 that the Russians had deployed. In the most recent action in the Red Sea and over Iraq, not one F-35 is even in the theater while F-16 and F/A-18 pilots farm xp and prep for war against Iran

[@johnofsometrades405]

@@pogo1140 The F-22 has flown to our Northern boarder when aircraft that wasn't cleared entered our airspace to deter. Two F-22's flow support for one of our drones getting bullied. Two F4's came in to shoot down the drone again. But this time the two F-22's undetected verified weapons, then scared off the two F4's with that ever famous sentence, "You really ought to go home". Because we spend billions or trillions on planes that don't see a battle doesn't mean they aren't used as a scare tactic. If we flew F4's to scare off a SU-57, or maybe a SU-27, SU-30, do you think other countries would shy away? But a pair of F-22's and 5 F-35's with 15 F-15EX's and nearly every country will think twice. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

[@danielh1708]

He didn't wait for anything. He was along for the ride, not trying pick a safe ejection location. In all honesty, he waited way to long to get out.

[@johnofsometrades405]

@@danielh1708 I seriously doubt not a single light came on and he had not control. He would have bailed as soon as it was out of control and not feet off the ground. I'll bet especially as late as he waited and how low before it went down, by the direction and location, he fought to the end to make sure that plane didn't hit anything or as little as possible. All pilots are trained to do everything they can to avoid crowded areas. That pilot fought and did his exactly as he was trained. All the way to the end. That plane has the most advanced engine, capable of sending failing information to ground crews before the pilot even knows it's failing or in need of repairs. That pilot did his job all the way to the very end. It's his training no one had more than minor issues and only 2 people

[@christophmahler]

F-35B seat ejection is automated. A military that follows a corrupt grand strategy - like preserving a British Empire in covert - is a liability. A corrupt procurement leaves the military helpless - like the border that will replace the population until the end of the century, restoring traditions that aren't Transatlantic.

[@ParZIVal19D]

Another car crashed better start banning cars.🤦🏼‍♂️ accidents happen. Especially in the military

[@kmoecub]

Last year alone there were 500 cars that burned simply because of mechanical failure. That doesn't include electric vehicles (far fewer of which burned).

[@shellysmith1037]

No its not, you goofs. It isn't prompting questions of the whole F-35 program. It questions one plane crash. Geez, stop trying hype every sngle thing that happens.

[@pazsion]

um yes it does... one in a few years mqybe not, but two or more within months?! absolutely, any other jet or vehicle would be grounded and picked apart. until they found something wrong and fixed it.

[@dekdawg21]

This jet had had issues for a long time

[@shellysmith1037]

when I served in the USN we lost a plane every month for years.... as well as helos. Its not uncommon

[@LRRPFco52]

​@@pazsion900,000 flight hours, 1000 airframes, 9 crashes of all 3 models in 17 years. I'll put it into perspective: From 2013-2023, we lost 67 F-16s with 38 fatalities. The F-16 has more deficiencies than F-35s do. In the first 10 years of F-16 service from 1978-1988, we lost 143 birds with 71 fatalities. That was the safest single engine fighter in USAF history at the time.

[@LRRPFco52]

​@@shellysmith1037Yup. First 10 years of F-14 service was 73 crashes 19 fatalities. F-16 was 143 total losses, 71 fatalities. F/A-18 was 97 crashes, 27 fatalities its first 10 years. In the past 17 years of F-35 flights, a total of 6 F-35Bs, 3 F-35As, and 1 F-35C have crashed with 1 fatality in Japanese forces, pilot physiological episode. These are the safest fighters ever designed and built in history.

[@glennkrieger]

She said the F-35B cost $145M. One of the reasons the F-35 was researched and built was its lower cost. Initially coming in around $80M, versus the F-22 at $170M. You have to wonder how the cost of an F-35 skyrocketed, as this high cost would negate one of the better reasons it was chosen.

[@rodiculous9464]

It skyrocketed because theyre being paid in Other People's Money

[@MattH-wg7ou]

No its not, they have completely different missions.

[@tomcray7907]

Классическая американская коррупция)

[@glennkrieger]

@@tomcray7907 American name who responds in Russian. Maybe you're right?

[@rp4186]

Only concern is about the price of the aircraft and not one word about the condition of the pilot who had to eject. SMH!

[@n.r.2258]

Only 29% of the fleet is even ready to fly ... the rest is grounded and the Airforce is currently no longer accepting any new F35s from the manufacturer.

[@bensonyazzie1168]

I saw this F-35, coming toooo fast for a landing as I was leaving the VA outside by the flagpole. I saw the fins on the tail, no markings on the plane. Completely black... there's no way he could have landed going that fast. Too low. Just saw what I seen.

[@bradbutcher3984]

Only 29%, 28% now are operational at any time.

[@virgilhilts3924]

False, the F-35 fleet average is about 55% But that figure needs to put in perspective, across our military airframe inventory readiness averages ~40% to 70% Sophisticated aircraft means that for every hour flown they require a great many man-hours to maintain, test, inspect, etc

[@kmoecub]

@@virgilhilts3924 Exactly. Even WW2 aircraft had a significant amount of downtime for maintenance and inspections. Very few people in the U.S. bother to really learn about something before reaching conclusions about it.

[@pogo1140]

@@virgilhilts3924 50% is less than the F-14's fleet average during a time when the US Navy had stopped buying spare parts and the mentainers were hammering metal to make repairs.

[@virgilhilts3924]

@@pogo1140 And...?

[@LRRPFco52]

​@@pogo1140Operational squadrons are 70-80% typically, which is what we see with F-35A/B/C. Training, flight test, weapons test, and aggressor F-35As don't have to maintain FMC levels like in an operational squadron because they aren't going feet-wet. So we don't need all the capabilities in them fully-up. Nobody cares if the Laser Designator is working in an aggressor, but it's a major gig in an operational squadron on paper (still doesn't matter if you're dropping JDAMs and SDBs for strike, unneeded for A2A). Doesn't matter, all those things get counted for the entire fleet rates when reporting to bean-counters who don't know the tip from the tail.

[@Lazy_Fish_Keeper]

Exactly how many flights result in crashes (3/1000? 2/100000?) and how does that compare with other models? Tired of being hyped up with questions, and only half decent journalistic answers. Journalism school used to teach "report the facts with out bias. Answer who, what, when, where, how, and whenever possible, why. If you can't answer 4 of the 6, dig deeper until you find the answers." My journalism teacher from high school wouldn't have allowed me to publish most of the stories making the news today on our weekly closed circuit news program. H/T to Curry Leslie, an old timer who believed anything worth doing was worth doing right. Especially the news.

[@korana6308]

That is something that I've been also ponder for a few years now...

[@mcgherkinstudios]

Over 1000 F-35s delivered and flying.

[@catlady8324]

Thank you Mr. Lou Grant. 👍

[@DebbieOnTheSpot]

Journalism is dead. Now its clickbait with dramatic wording, n0 real information

[@minhnguyen-mk9om]

29 crashes and counting

[@c-record]

The DoD made a HUGE mistake putting all our eggs in one basket. They should have went with both the X32 and F23 alongside the F22 & F35 and be diversified. One aircraft type for all branches is just negligent and leaves us vulnerable.

[@milesdyson5211]

NO its NOT, sorry but you don't know what you're talking about

[@pamady276]

The benefit of F-35 progam is the USAF could cut the cost and save their money for maintenance, spare parts and pilot training, it will be different story when they have to maintenance several type of fighter jet. F-35 still considering to be the most advanced fighter jet in the world

[@tacomator2895]

Ok, so you are saying let's add 2 more very expensive weapon systems to our already ridiculously high debt??? Since your so smart go ahead and create that budget and find where that money will come from...

[@kevint1911]

I’m sorry but you don’t seem to understand logistics and supply at all. Limiting the number and variety of equipment a military uses is a necessity. When you have to provide parts and weapons and ammunition on a foreign base or battlefield it is much easier and more efficient to supply these thing for a fewer number of aircraft and than a greater number. Also, the per unit cost of equipment is much higher when you make a smaller number than when you make a much greater number. The per unit cost of F-22 was much higher because they only made 195 of them as compared to thousands of F-35’s. Also the supply chain for F-22, in terms of spare parts is far more limited and is why the Air Force wants to retire nearly a quarter of the flee after only 20 years. They cut off production early and now parts have to be manufactured from scratch at a much higher cost. If we did what you suggest and had multiple smaller runs of aircraft we would be multiplying this extra expense 5 fold or worse.

[@kmoecub]

More aircraft types for a single role makes logistics a nightmare. There have been plenty of documented cases of a forward maintenance facility getting a shipment of parts that were for aircraft (or ground vehicles) that were not being used by that unit. During wartime the result of that is two units (at a minimum) of combat vehicles being without the ability to be repaired.

[@The.Drunk-Koala]

Fun fact: they do not have to give you answers on the crash.

[@JetDriver77]

That'll buff right out...

[@pirateparker]

compromised ! its a flying computer LOL

[@will7its]

Full of chinese chips......

[@LRRPFco52]

​@@will7itsNo Chinese components are allowed in it. They found one of the subcontractors slipped in some Chinese-sourced metal for a landing gear strut, and it caused a whole backlash and investigation, extreme scrutiny and monitoring of the contractor, with penalties just for raw material. The chips come from exclusive DoD suppliers in the US, and it has a lot of them. China isn't even remotely capable of making the semiconductors that populate the electronic subsystems in JSF.

[@ilovemylife878]

Tell me you know nothing about planes whitout telling me anything.

[@pirateparker]

@ilovemylife878 all I know is that the people who are trying to figure out why the f35 does things it's not programmed to do don't know why it happens. 🤔

[@ElwoodBluesAK]

Average American jet experience:

[@ilovemylife878]

What?

[@storminnormin01j47]

Sorry what 5th gen aircraft does your country fly?

[@ElwoodBluesAK]

@@storminnormin01j47 None, instead we have a functioning Healthcare system, free universities and zero homeless people 😂😂😂And the United States pays 90% of our defence budget 💪💪💪

[@storminnormin01j47]

@@ElwoodBluesAK Better hope we don't change our mind

[@pandibbarman]

So you should be thankful the US protects you so that you can have a good healthcare 😑. ​@@ElwoodBluesAK

[@sierravista9013]

Thank goodness NM has open space

[@Tommy3565badly]

All new planes, cars, trucks and the jab has their problems. It’s just the news that causes the problem.

[@changefromabill1637]

The poor gal behind the desk on the left looks like she's about to be in a plane crash herself... "HOLD ON FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!" hahaha!

[@dirtworxphotography245]

You forgot to mention his $400k helmet too lol

[@danielh1708]

It went with him. Probably not even damaged.

[@dirtworxphotography245]

@@danielh1708 lol ya I was just saying on top of the 145million or whatever the jet cost

[@fridaynight3181]

​@@dirtworxphotography245F16 and F15 crush were 10 times worse. Idk why people are so arrogant. This is normal. Even Soviets and China suffered this stuffs

[@dirtworxphotography245]

@@fridaynight3181 I think all aviation crashes are bad. My cousin flys f15s currently and I'm sure he would agree it don't matter what the aircraft is, you don't want to see it crash

[@fridaynight3181]

@@dirtworxphotography245 it's not possible. All jet fighter models crashed. Even the F22

[@slkgeothermal]

Why do they strictly focus on the cost of the aircraft & cost of operation. Any aircraft can crash no matter what the cost or pilots ability.

[@AaronBernstein-pw2me]

Having flown the 35 numerous times in my dreams, my expert opinion on the crash is that there was a problem with the aircraft.

[@will7its]

I concur.......

[@tommctigue9098]

There was a gravity storm in the area that could have been a contributing factor too .

[@will7its]

@@tommctigue9098 Gravity is a bitch, I cant understand why people in Australia dont fly off into space.....

[@ghtwghtw7197]

How many already?

[@bigjoel3599]

This makes I believe the 3rd that we know of

[@LRRPFco52]

6x F-35Bs 3x F-35As 1x F-35C These are unreal safe rates compared to any other fighter. ~900,000 fleet flight hours so far, 1000 airframes.

[@cemo3292]

@@LRRPFco52is that only the US F-35? Because 1 British and 1 Japanese F-35 crashed as well

[@LRRPFco52]

@@cemo3292 Yes, those are total fleet numbers. There aren't any fighters with half the JSF production numbers with safety records this good. Typhoon comes really close but doesn't have anywhere near F-35 airframe count or fleet flight hours, and Typhoon is over 20 years older than F-35. We (my family and coworkers) were working on ECA/Future Fighter 1990 already with the West Germans from 1980-1982 before they even had a demonstrator. Typhoon has 10 write-offs, 9 fatalities. F-22A is probably the closest to F-35 series in safety, but only 195 built. Rafale has a good safety record too, but nowhere near the production numbers, sorries, or fleet flight hours even with decades head start.

[@scottpaulhubbard8771]

What a joke for one reason compared to other aircraft around the world in a program of this size 10 or 11 crashed in this time is an amazing achievement for a program with so many different types for different people

[@CalmBeforeTheStorm76]

This happened 2 full days ago and you guys sat on it

[@user-ex2he1bz1l]

2/3 of these aircraft are grounded and the rest fall from the sky on a regular basis. The only reason they haven't all been grounded is politics.

[@terry970]

What is the cost of Freedom? If the US is not strong, the US will fall!!! If you like freedom thank the military! Even though the US government is very corrupt, the US is still alive!

[@gld1010]

Military aircraft crash and I observed one myself while I was in and it was an A6 Intruder (a tested frame at the time) which barely missed the base fuel reserves. The F-35 is still a new platform so the bugs are still being ironed out. A lot of miliary aircraft have had bugs that needed to be ironed out over time before they were stellar platforms. In fact, I watched early days of the F-35 before the major bug scrub and the F-35 barely could do basic fighter maneuvers, now after, it can use those large wing surfaces to perform great fighter maneuvers for an aircraft that isn't vector thrusting like the F-22. The real rub with this aircraft compared to the rest is price per unit and probably over priced which should require some sort of investigation or scrutiny but will probably never happen.

[@robbypolter6689]

Why do you have to sacrifice an F-35 just to test an ejection seat. Depending on the version, the bird costs between 110 and 135 million dollars. Don't the Americans have older aircraft with similarly unsafe flight characteristics that are sufficient to test ejection seats?

[@captain54526]

A lot of Drama that the news media brings up !! You think Israel would be flying them if they didn't deliver !!!

[@THEGLASSMANSWORLD]

Is this really the 2nd military plane that went down here in NM in the last month??

[@fridaynight3181]

Just go watch F16 crash on early years and soviet jets crash. You will see this is normal

[@tomaburque]

1.5 trillion dollars and the plane was used about zero times in 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[@tacomator2895]

That's what you think.... I can confirm that they have been used in this areas...

[@Fartuchowaty]

He was 1st flown in 2006 and came in mass production this year. You dont need advanced flying computer designed for modern conventional war with china to fly over poor people on the middle east with AK-47 at best. it would be a waste of resources. For such tasks are old planes like A-10, F-16 etc.

[@Hakuna_Frittata]

These aren't meant to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have many aircraft suitable for that task which cost far less to operate and maintain.

[@tacomator2895]

@Fartuchowaty Have you seen what China has? Have you not heard of the J20 or SA15?? You are very behind on what our adversaries have... And Afghanistan had russian equipment that is able to shoot down a A10 or F16. You need to do your research bud. China will be at your doorstep without the F35 acting as a deterrence

[@davedevonlad7402]

​@@Fartuchowaty"he" ?

[@BasicBobby]

Yeah this really isn’t major news. The accident rate for F-35s, is unremarkable. Especially, when you take its complexity into account, and its iterative development-which forces it into service early, by design-to stay on the cutting edge. Moreover, a single F-35 is about as expensive as buying a single new F-15EX (economies of scale). So while the program is the most expensive ever in total, per plane, it is far from it.

[@dawg7915]

Everyone in the Fighter Aircraft business understands full well if other Jets of its kind are not grounded within 48 hours, it's pilots' error. all the data ( CSMU) survived to tell the tale.

[@jaysonpida5379]

Hmm, many foreign air forces use it regularly and it's been flying combat missions daily. The numbers built already are nearing 1000. Fighter jets crash...ain't nothing new. Very glad it wasn't worse. Now finding out the 'why' is most important: pilot error, computer failure, mechanical, structural, maintenance, nature(fod)?

[@pogo1140]

Just a reminder, most of those foreign air forces are not flying the plane as often as they should so you don't crash if you don't fly. Also the USAF's F-35 pilots are about 3 hours/year from being under NATO's minimum number of NATO flight hours.

[@viasevenvai]

It’s not fair to price this as 1 aircraft. It’s 3. To say 2 Trillion went into one isn’t fair. It has 3 variations that offer multiple branches of military what they need.

[@ItsEricAZ]

The $2 Trillion is also the entire program costs including retiring them and sending them to the boneyard after 50+ years. Have you noticed we never hear the 50 year program costs for anything else? What's the F-22 program cost projections? I've never seen them. How about Medicaid over 50 years?

[@will7its]

@@ItsEricAZ Kajillions......

[@will7its]

Its all funny money anyway......

[@baxtermullins1842]

All new programs are or have been called “Controversial this or that” although each generation gets better and better!

[@Reach41]

Every advanced military jet program goes through 20 years of news media "questions about the program." They are good for enhancing revenue, as people are interested in crashes, but they aren't news per se, they are misinformation that viewers come away believing.

[@DJMadVibes1]

Viper, "Keep sending him up!"

[@DanielSmith-lv5ed]

How did that camera know to focus in that direction right as it crashes, now theres no goddam way in hell on any ordinary day that someone could pull out their camera before they realised a jet was about to crash

[@GamerKatz_1971]

Why do people always act shocked when these things happen? No matter how state of the art a plane is a piece of machinery. Machines fail, all the time. Crashes are going to happen.

[@DanSuy]

if its Chinese jet crashed, oh its made in china bla bla bla.. if its US jet crased, oh its piece of machinery, its mother nature

[@partyrobbins4690]

​@@DanSuy If a Chinese jet crashes it is quickly swept under the rug and no one is told why it crashed and any news outlet that did report about it takes it down.

[@ItsEricAZ]

It's amazing people forget this minor point.

[@povertyspec9651]

@@ItsEricAZ For $140 million each, they ought to be able to fly to Mars and back at the speed of light.

[@ItsEricAZ]

@@povertyspec9651 Um, no. First off, the F-35Bs run about $110M per plane. A new F-16 runs about $70M with no STOVL capability. It's not that crazy expensive vs other civilian jets.

[@ralphwatt8752]

145 Million , doesnt the Rand Corporation get discount? "Cheaper by the Dozen "

[@sr707ca8]

I question the people who keep talking about the demise of this weapon system what are they going to replace it with

[@derikuk2967]

How about a good dose of common sense and lower costs of living for ordinary people?

[@AlfieDoug]

@sr707ca8 Maybe one they are prepared to use in combat and not just to practice with.

[@mehnameehjeff6325]

Our interest rate on our deficit has exceeded our military budget, so talking about replacing the f-35, is like being bankrupt and shopping for a Ferrari after you Lamborghini breaks down.

[@MrSlim1959]

Biden wants to replace this modern weapon system with high tech BB Guns.

[@sr707ca8]

@@derikuk2967 we are Murica we can chew bubble gum and walk at the same time. dont know if you have family that have served or know folks that served but if you do ask them your self but most deaths in military last 20 years yes even when we were at war was by vehicle plane or ground deaths through accidents

[@willschmit436]

I'm familiar with the area. It appears the pilot ejected while still over the runway (or shortly after that). It flew to the base under its own power, then refueled (on its way west). That calls for speculation that the fuel may be at fault. Of course, it is unlikely that we will ever learn the true answer...

[@ItsEricAZ]

Military investigations are pretty good and fuel is an easy one to verify. The refueling truck was likely impounded within 20 minutes of this crash. Reported engine problems/loss of thrust could be fuel related. Hopefully they'll give us an interim report in 30 days.

[@willschmit436]

@@ItsEricAZ Thanks for the clarification. That only makes sense...

[@SkinPeeleR]

Stealth allright. Puts up a hell of a smokescreen.

[@BirdieRC]

I do not have the exact numbers, but in my opinion most accidents we hear about, seems to be with the B version. This VTOL version is much more technically complicated, conpared to the A version, that needs a normal runway. Happy that we have the A type here in the Netherlands.

[@LRRPFco52]

The F-35B has had 6 crashes, out of about 300 built. F-35A has had 3 crashes with about 600 built so far. Most of the 900,000 flight hours are from As of course. Causes of the B model crashes have mostly been human error. The first one was a mechanical failure with an improper fuel tube installation unique to the B. F-35B is a lot safer than the F-16 though. In the last 10 years, we had 68 F-16 crashes and 37 fatalities.

[@Beltfedshooters]

Just interview Matt Gaetz, he will tell you all about the F-35 program.

[@jessyhavron2548]

Must have been built in a Union Plant.

[@usboneman663]

they are…

[@ottomatic3123]

This is the F-35B that features vertical lift so I assume that there is a lot more mechanics, thus a lot more that can go wrong than a typical F-35. Shit happens, it's not uncommon. The military loses aircraft quite often.

[@Mauscmkwk]

This is why it would have been cheaper to keep building the f 22 raptor

[@leeelliott4240]

145 million per aircraft....F-18 cost less than half of that.

[@Gulfstream650SP]

Don’t forget, it’s a dual engine

[@ItsEricAZ]

A new F-18 is going to run over $70 Million these days. The F-35B is running some $110 M at this time with bigger combat radius and better electronics while also being much stealthier/safer to fly in combat.

[@bluestar2253]

There goes our $145million. Chump change for our military.

[@sandycay4085]

Remarkably safe aircraft? That was funny as these aircraft are falling from skies on monthly basis! 😂

[@RickyJr46]

and another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust…

[@MikeHayespurple]

Another fwd engine blank error?

[@MisterMemeDude]

It's a shitty jet.. There I saved you an investigation

[@2engjnr2]

If two are crashing per year then they aren't relatively safe.

[@user-xj6rr3yv8q]

small error, 'ejected FROM the aircraft'

[@Gunslinger218]

We just had one like 8 month ago. The F-16 is like the greatest fighter, ground attack aircraft we have. We should just stick with it.

[@joeds3775]

Was

[@ItsEricAZ]

Um, do you know how many F-16s have been lost over the years? In the early '80s worldwide we lost almost one per month.

[@blackstoneblkstntv5551]

why @Dailymail is silent hmmmm

[@dougkennedy4906]

Name one model of aircraft in use that has not crashed. You can't. Not always the plane at fault. Nuf said.

[@mrbro181]

To the left..? I couldn't tell, I thought maybe it was to the right... The big plum of smoke is the crash, on the left..?..¿..‽

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Lack of experience maybe ? Hmmmmmm

[@marlinweekley51]

Cleaning up the crash site? Its a smoking hole in the sand. Whats to clean up?

[@ItsEricAZ]

Fuel soaked ground, aircraft parts of which many are classified even when fried, etc.

[@marlinweekley51]

@@ItsEricAZ the fuel exploded and burned. Classified parts left in a fire like that? Well maybe,

[@storminnormin01j47]

@@marlinweekley51 You can literally blow up an artillery shell and have enough information to track down the exact factory it was produced in, so yeah it needs to be cleaned up

[@sonnyburnett8725]

How about some reporters who could fit in the cockpit of an F-35? Oh, and it’s always important to sign off with a heavy hisspanic accent.

[@garzongarzon7514]

Flying coffin. Trying to beat F-105 record

[@storminnormin01j47]

F-35 accidents are about 1000 less than the navy and marines had in 1954. I don't think you know what a real death trap is

[@gertjelken424]

Dont buy a Jet with only one engine.

[@fw1421]

The biggest boondoggle ever perpetrated upon the American Taxpayers.😡

[@storminnormin01j47]

Not even remotely close

That smoke is So Toxic.

[@islandwanderer1173]

So, how many now?

[@storminnormin01j47]

about a thousand accidents less than we had in 1954, not including the air force

[@CalmBeforeTheStorm76]

"Not having details" isn't an excuse. People are sick and tired of being lied to and deceived, then treated like *we* are the traitors. Accountability. We all have accountability. Just because it's an election year and our current admin has edged us towards WWIII does not justify making ordinary citizens the bad guys for pointing this out. You're the Fourth Estate. Start acting like it instead of falling in line, like this is East Berlin.

[@storminnormin01j47]

bro it literally just crashed, you need to chill

[@Steve-uq7np]

145 million dollars per aircraft….whats my return?

[@storminnormin01j47]

Not living in a communist country

[@garrettburrows442]

We don't have that kind of money to be letting you crash 145 million dollar aircraft

[@storminnormin01j47]

We absolutely do. Might as well be a rounding error

[@Hooligoon78]

Ft Hood no longer exists... Its Fort Cavazos now.

[@DeRico1337]

Ohhh quick to jump to conclusions are we

[@JahongirOtkir]

Nothing is safe

[@RCEDFJETZ]

RC aircraft have return to home functions. Why not F-35's?

[@usboneman663]

they do

[@philt98569]

Good thing nobody actually lives there

[@georgebushskates2066]

Right who would live on a freeway?

[@philt98569]

@@georgebushskates2066 😂😂 your mom😂😂.

[@GageTucker-of2wd]

Well the Concorde says otherwise

[@jasonb4566]

They all live in Rio Rancho

[@georgebushskates2066]

@@philt98569 lol my mom owns twenty houses 😆

[@glhx2112]

"Lockheed Marrrr.... in" ? Silly me, I always thought it was Lockheed Martin. You know, with a "T". Bogus accusation of "criticism of cost & efficiency is the hilarious icing on the cake.

[@alanheath7056]

I liked the American Raptor than the F-35.

[@3-2-1-.]

Another example of how stupid it was to buy single engine jets. Somebody got rich off these contracts, and it wasn't the American people.

[@ItsEricAZ]

Many two engine planes crashed due to an initial single engine issue. The F-16 has a very high safety record while flying with one engine. I think we'll see the F-35 record hold up in the long term.

[@LRRPFco52]

F-35Bs have a better safety record than all 2-engine fighters. The math is what it is. Go look up any of the others. Rafale, Super Hornet, F-22A, F-15, F-14.

[@ilovemylife878]

And what does 2 engines change huh?

[@LRRPFco52]

Some twin engine fighters airframe losses and fatalities during their first 10 years of service: F-14: 73 crashes, 19 fatalities F/A-18A/B/C/D: 97 crashes, 27 fatalities F-35s have been flying since Dec 2006 (17.5yrs) F-35A/B/C: 12 airframe losses (2 to early fires) 1 fatality in JADF More F-35s have been produced than the F-14 total life and F/A-18 within its first 10 years. F-35 fleet flight hours are 842,000 now. The twin engine Super Hornet has 27 airframe losses with 16 fatalities in the last 10 years.

[@mikkeya3808]

Word salad by eggsperts 😂😂😂

[@festungkurland9804]

Here come the f35 white knights squadron LMAO

[@conantdog]

The most expensive military Design failure in modern history. The facts are this aircraft is not combat capable. The F-35 can be beat in a dog by decades old aircraft, it is a perfect example of the American belief in its own technical superiority,magical thinking .

[@LRRPFco52]

They are the most capable fighter designs in history, and the safest. I've been in aerospace and defense since the 1970s specific to fighters. We lost 143 F-16s in its first 10 years of service, 71 fatalities.

[@ilovemylife878]

What in hell are you saying bruh. They wouldn't build and massbuy a jet that would take years just for it to be non combat capable.

[@storminnormin01j47]

You are the most uninformed person in modern history

[@LRRPFco52]

@@storminnormin01j47 Hey man. Didn’t you read what he said? The F-35 can be "beat in a dog by decades old aircraft". Not sure how they all fit in the in the dog, but it must be magical thinking like he referenced. It always amuses me to read the unintelligible gibberish of the post-modern vernacular that can’t even describe basic things in life, but assumes to be well-versed in the intricacies of advanced aerospace sciences.

[@JeepCherokeeful]

What caused the crash? A bad design.

[@storminnormin01j47]

5th gen stealth fighter that costs less than many of the modernized 4th gen non stealth aircraft? I'll take the F-35 every time

[@BuckDaily]

I blame Russia just like Iran is blaming us for the helicopter crash

[@duffer2307]

stealth planes are built with some toxic shit.

[@asimpleguy9667]

that costs a fortune,🤭

[@sb859]

None of these viewers are losing sleep at night over "concerns over cost and efficiency?" Just crappy, sensationalized reporting.

[@brucerideout9979]

My F35 Kite was very divergent and, eager to crash. After adding the Oyster shell and rock modification to the to tail section, as ballast, it flew perfectly, primarily indicated by thre honking of car horns, up, on the highway, adjacent to the beach, which I had conquered. Cost analysis,,, hmm Twenty cents per flight, over the lifetime of the airframe.

[@Mulinari-Pascai]

Maverick 🤔

[@milesdyson5211]

Nothing to see here, Just Pilot error, nothing more, we'll wait for the results from the flight recorder

[@gerishorion-hl7oe]

the jet overheat

[@milesdyson5211]

@@gerishorion-hl7oe NO thats not it either

[@stevenchristy3175]

Bring back the P-52

[@RoboticPope]

You mean P-51 Mustang?

[@aurorajones8481]

LOL how old are you? WWII was like 100 years ago bro. One report noted that out of the approximately 15,586 P-51s produced, hundreds were lost due to accidents and non-combat-related issues. A common estimate is that around 10-15% of all aircraft losses during WWII were due to non-combat incidents. Not impressed. Ill take the F35 all day long.

[@aurorajones8481]

And the The Kruger P-52 Merlin is not even REAL. Its a video game fighter. Jesus. You either got the plane way wrong or your just spouting fictional works.

[@RARenfield]

We're used to seeing the F-35 plummet from the sky here in SC. Most ridiculously over budget fighter program ever. So the station calls in a mouthpiece for the program to defend the indefensible. And the real story gets buried. A journalist is now defined as someone who can read a press release reasonably well on camera.

[@storminnormin01j47]

How is the program ridiculously over budget when we've already paid the expenses for the infrastructure, maintenance, and aircraft to operate for most of this century?

[@RARenfield]

@@storminnormin01j47 Thanks for asking Norm. Budget has bloated to nearly double estimates, while the 10 year old program has a dismal 52 percent flight ready status for the F-35A. To offset these failures, the Pentagon bought more of them and lowered their flight time expectations to compensate for their miserable effectiveness. But all three version fall far short of their mission capable rates. Which is military speak for "they look good sitting still, but you'd better take the F-22 to take down that Chinese balloon." Also, they're falling out of the skies over SC and NM on routine peacetime flights. Otherwise, the F-35 program continues to be money well spent. 🤣😜

[@phmwu7368]

Clever countries bought the Dassault Rafale !!!

[@pandibbarman]

So many jets going down around the world 😑 Russian, indian, US