14 DAY TRIAL // An F-35 fighter jet has made an unscheduled emergency landing at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport in Texas, after the aircraft's pilot noted a caution warning.
According to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, the F-35 took off from Fort Worth and was headed to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada when it required emergency assistance.
It departed from the Lockheed Martin F-35 production facility at approximately 12:42 p.m., Everything Lubbock writes. It had a safe landing in Lubbock IA at 1:40 p.m., during which the pilot was not injured.
Lockheed spokesman Michael Rein has issued a statement noting that proper operating procedures have been observed during the incident. The pilot landed in Lubbock after a warning light turned on in the cockpit.
The aircraft was stationed on a ramp at Lubbock Aero and supervised by National Guard officers until maintenance crews arrived.
The malfunction was fixed by the evening and the plane took off for Nevada at 5:30 p.m., Lubbock Airport Executive Director James Loomis describes.
The F-35A Lightning II conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) aircraft is part of a fighter jet program debuted by the US Air Force (USAF).
The aircraft manufactured by contractor Lockheed Martin Aeronautics has one seat and operates on one engine.
“The multi-role, supersonic, stealthy fighter aircraft is designed to undertake air defense, ground attack and reconnaissance missions.
“The F-35A CTOL variant of the F-35 aircraft is designed mainly as a low-visibility aircraft with air-to-ground attack and air-to-air combat capabilities. Turning agility of the aircraft is nine times the force of gravity,” Airforce Technology writes.
The F-35 is 15.7 m (51 feet) long and can reach the speed of 1.6 Mach. It is an armed combat jet with a 2,200-km (1,370-miles) range, effective on a 1,093-km (680-miles) radius.
“The F-35A is equipped with an internally-mounted GAU-22/A Equalizer gun manufactured by General Dynamics. This 25mm gun is designed for greater effectiveness against ground targets,” the same publication details.