£65,000,000 fighter jet crashes and explodes in fireball at air force base
A F-35 fighter jet was destroyed after it went up in flames following a crash at a US airbase.
Footage shows when the military jet fell from the sky during a routine exercise at the Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.
The pilot managed to escape just moments before the jet began spiralling down yesterday afternoon.
In a split second, the pilot can be seen ejecting themselves out of the aircraft before parachuting down while the jet hits the ground.
(Picture: Twitter)
It then bursts into flames in a fireball. The pilot was taken to Bassett Army Hospital for ‘further evaluation,’ the 354th Fighter Wing said in a statement.
The office said it has launched an investigation, Dailymail.com reports.
Col. Paul Townsend, commander of the fighter wing, said: ‘Our people are our most important resource, and we are committed in ensuring their safety and security.
‘I can assure you the United States Air Force will conduct a thorough investigation in hopes to minimize the chances of such occurrences from happening again.’
He said the pilot was carrying out ‘standard procedures’ at the time of the crash, adding that ‘it is premature to speculate on the causes of the incident.’
One F-35A is estimated to cost around £65,000,000 ($81,000,000).
The US Air Force has 408 F-35A Lightning II aircraft in its arsenal, making it the world’s biggest operator of the jet in the world.
The Air Force has been busy recently after unidentified drones were spotted flying over New Jersey last year.
The objects were compared to UFOs while conspiracy theories suggested drones were used for malign foreign actors.
However, the new White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has now said the that large numbers ‘were authorised to be flown by the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] for research and various other reasons.’
Mystery drones were also seen hovering near the US airbases in Suffolk and Norfolk.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.