Fresno, California – A fighter F – 35C Lightning II, belonging to the United States Navy, fell around 6:30 pm (local time) in a field near Lemoore Naval Air Station, located about 37 miles south of the city of Fresno, authorities confirmed officials in an official statement.
The pilot, a member of the VFA-125 training squad, successfully ejected and is in good health condition without additional injuries, as reported. According to a statement from nas lemoore:
“The pilot has successfully ejected and is safe. There are no others affected.”
The incident caused a small fire in vegetation, which consumed about a dozen acres, according to Cal Fire report. Emergency teams responded promptly, controlling the flames without reported victims
The jet was part of the VFA -125 attacking squad, known as “Rough Raiders”, which is responsible for training new Navy Pilots to operate the F – 35C fighter, a version adapted for users use. A nas lemoore is the main navy operations center for such fighters on the west coast of the USA
The cause of accidents has not yet been released, and an official investigation is underway by the competent authorities
This is the second accident with an F -35 in 2025. On January 28, 2025, another US F – 35A F – 35A fell in Alaska; The pilot also ejected safely
OF -35 Lightning II is a fifth generation stealth fighter designed by Lockheed Martin. The F -35C version is equipped for the operations in the realm, with the capacity of takeoffs and landings in maritime attractiveness
Source and Images: In Lemoore | Stars and Stripes | Wimmedia. This content was created with the help of AI and revised by the editorial team.
