A version of this story appeared in the Threat Status newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Threat Status delivered directly to your inbox each Wednesday.

Questions swirled on exactly what led to the crash of an F-35 Lightning II and why the $100 million aircraft continued flying long after the pilot ejected from the cockpit. 

Washington Times National Security editor Guy Taylor and Military and Foreign Affairs reporter Ben Wolfgang sat down to explain what is known, and what is not known about the doomed, pilotless F-35B fighter jet that went down in South Carolina.

Follow Ben’s reporting here:

The shocking incident represented the latest black eye for the $1.7 trillion F-35 program, which has been plagued by production delays and cost overruns throughout its two-decade history, with some Capitol Hill critics even suggesting in recent years that it’s time to abandon the program entirely.
Read more HERE

A stunning 911 audiotape offers few details on exactly what led to the crash of the $100 million aircraft outside Charleston, South Carolina, or why the F-35 Lightning II continued flying long after the pilot ejected from the cockpit.
Read more HERE

The number of F-35 fighter jets capable of performing their missions is “far below program goals,” and the Defense Department and its private-sector partners are “behind schedule” with their maintenance of the cutting-edge aircraft, a congressional watchdog said in a stinging study from the Government Accountability Office.
Read more HERE

A version of this story appeared in the Threat Status newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Threat Status delivered directly to your inbox each Wednesday.

Copyright © 2024 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.

Click to Read More and View Comments

Click to Hide