An American F-35 fighter jet crashed while taking off from Albuquerque International Airport in the US state of New Mexico on Tuesday, causing severe injuries to its pilot.

Footage shared on social media showed flames breaking out at the crash site and thick smoke rising, while rescue and firefighting teams headed to the area near the airport.

Two officials from the US Department of Defense told CBS News that the crashed aircraft was an upgraded model of the F-35 fighter jet, delivered by Lockheed Martin. They added that the plane had just taken off from Albuquerque and was going to Edwards Air Force Base in southern California.

تحطم طائرة مقاتلة أميركية من طراز F-35 أثناء إقلاعها من مطار ألبوكيرك الدولي في ولاية نيو مكسيكو 👇#الميادين pic.twitter.com/iUQCPMigcs

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) May 28, 2024

The history of the F-35

The F-35 fighter jet program was launched in the United States in 2006. Lockheed Martin developed this type of aircraft, which comes in three versions: F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C, each costing over $100 million, at the request of the US military, which aimed to integrate them into Air Force and Navy operations.

Despite an abundance of criticism, the United States continues extensively investing in the development and support of the program, making it the most expensive arms program in the world.

In this context, it is worth noting that among the technical issues faced by the F-35 are problems with troubleshooting, connecting devices wiring, piping, and fiber optics, as well as defects in the memory unit and refueling door, according to Air and Space Forces magazine.

The F-35 has experienced multiple incidents due to malfunctions and technical problems, including fires, crashes, sinkings, decommissioning, and emergency landings. These incidents have occurred in the United States and other countries that suffered significant financial losses after purchasing the jets from Washington, often without using them in combat.

Delays plague F-35 TR-3 upgrade program, pushing delivery to 2025

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported on May 16 that ongoing issues with both the hardware and software of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) upgrade program have resulted in delays, pushing back the delivery of the new system and its installation in existing aircraft until next year.

"The F-35 program is facing a range of issues due to the late deliveries of TR-3 hardware and software," the report said. "These challenges, collectively, will delay the full delivery of TR-3 with new capabilities until 2025."

According to the report, citing Lockheed Martin, the supplier responsible for producing the integrated core processor is delivering this component late and with quality issues.

Concerning software, challenges with aircraft software supporting radar and electronic warfare systems "have been especially prevalent, with some test pilots reporting that they had to reboot their entire radar and electronic warfare systems mid-flight to get them back online."

Consequently, the report states that TR-3 software with enhanced capabilities will not be delivered until 2025, which is two years later than the initial schedule.

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