US Navy's F-35 Stealth Fighter Jet Crashes In California Near Naval Air Station Lemoore (VIDEO)

California: A US Navy F-35 fighter jet crashed in California on Wednesday. The incident reportedly took place near Naval Air Station Lemoore. The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely. The fifth-generation stealth fighter jet crashed at around 6:30 pm (local time).

The aircraft was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron VF-125, known as the “Rough Raiders,” the Navy said as reported by CNN. Notably, VF-125 is a Fleet Replacement Squadron. It is responsible for training pilots and aircrew.

Visuals of crashed jet also surfaced online. In the video, flames could be seen billowing out of the debris of the crashed jet. An envelope of black smoke could also be seen engulfing the area.

The naval station is located around 64 km southwest of the city of Fresno. The cause of the crash is not known yet. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.

British Navy's F-35 Jet Remained Grounded At Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram Airport For 37 Days:

Earlier this month, the British Navy's F-35 fighter aircraft, which made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14, took off after 37 days. The £100 million British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet was grounded at the airport in Kerala due to a hydraulic system fault.

The aircraft was part of the UK Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. According to reports, the fighter jet was on out on a routine sortie when it developed a snag and could not land on the ship.

The plane then reached the Thiruvananthapuram airport, which was designated as the emergency recovery airfield. It then requested emergency landing permission.