American F-35A super fighter broke its landing gear and hit its nose on the runway.
An American F-35A stealth fighter had an accident, had to make an emergency landing at Eglin base and was damaged by a broken landing gear.
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The F-35A after hitting its nose on the runway. Photo:Drive |
"The F-35A made an emergency landing and landed safely at Eglin Air Force Base, but the front landing gear collapsed after it stopped near the runway. Firefighters were quickly on the scene, and the pilot of the F-35A was not injured,"Drivequoted a spokesman for the 33rd Fighter Wing, the unit stationed at Eglin Airport, said.
The US Air Force has not revealed details about the problem with the F-35A during flight and the cause of the broken landing gear, only revealing that the incident occurred at 12:50 on August 22 (0:50 am on August 23, Hanoi time) and an investigation is underway. Photos at the scene show a fire truck parked near the F-35A, but it is unclear whether there was a fire on the plane before landing.
The extent of damage to the F-35A fighter is also not yet determined, but the nose-to-ground collision could damage one of the aircraft's most sophisticated and expensive sensors, including the AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and the electro-optical reconnaissance and targeting system (EOTS). The EOTS block is located under the nose of the aircraft and in the exact area where it collided with the runway, making it likely to have been completely destroyed after the incident.