The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning is widely thought to be one of the most advanced jet fighters on the planet. A multirole combat aircraft designed to tackle various types of missions, the aircraft entered service nearly two decades ago — in 2006 — and has been one of the mainstays of the United States Armed Forces since then. The F-35 is also used by several allies of the United States; including the United Kingdom, Israel, Greenland, Japan, and Singapore. The aircraft is known for its stealth capabilities and is expected to remain in service for several decades.
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While generally considered a safe aircraft, the F-35’s service history remained unblemished for the first few years of its service. Of late, however, there has been a steady increase in air crashes involving the F-35 Lightning, raising questions about the plane’s longevity and reliability.
The most recent crash involving the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting happened on January 28, 2025, during a training mission at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. Officials revealed that this crash resulted from an “inflight malfunction” while the pilot attempted to land the aircraft. Investigations are attempting to ascertain the cause of the crash.
The first significant incident with the F-35 was reported in 2014 when a US Air Force F-35 encountered a destructive engine fire caused by excessive rubbing of the fan blades inside the engine. The major fire incident resulted in the total loss of the aircraft. There was another fire in 2016, which also resulted in an United States Marine Corps F-35 being destroyed by fire.
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It wasn’t until 2018 that the Lockheed Martin F-35 started becoming involved in air crashes.