US F-35 stealth fighter jet worth £77MILLION crashes for first time in history of airforce programme
The F-35 crashed during a US Marine training exercise in South Carolina, US
A US stealth fighter jet worth £77million has crashed for the first time in the history of its airforce programme.
The F-35 crashed during a US Marine training exercise in South Carolina, US.
The pilot successfully ejected the jet and no members of the public were hurt, reports.
Dramatic photos showed black plumes of smoke billowing into the sky, moments after the jet crashed at 11.40am on Friday.
The incident is an embarrassing blunder for the US Marine Corps with an official describing the jet as a “total loss”.
A spokesman later confirmed: "The pilot safely ejected from the single-seat aircraft and is currently being evaluated by medical personnel."
The F-35 is the world's most advanced fighter jet and is the most expensive weapons programme of its type.
It is believed that 3,000 have been sold worldwide, with the RAF recently buying 15 in June.
The UK's £9.1 billion programme to buy 48 of the F-35s, the world's most advanced fighter jet, over the next decade, has come under fire over capability and expense.
Reports have suggested that the effective cost of each plane is as much as £150 million when logistics and support are taken into account.
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US President Donald Trump often praises the F-35, saying enemies of the US "cannot see" it.
But while it is not invisible, weapons giant Lockheed Martin said the jet’s "advanced stealth" enables it to avoid radar.
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