July 30, 2025 (by Bjorn Claes) - A US Navy F-35C went down this evening around 18:00h near NAS Lemoore in central California. The pilot managed to eject safely,
Footage from the crash showed flames and dense black smoke coming from the crash site, approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Fresno. Emergency medical crews responded swiftly to assist the pilot.

The downed aircraft belonged to Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-125, dubbed the “Rough Raiders.” As a Fleet Replacement Squadron, VF-125 plays a critical role in training Navy pilots and aircrew.

This crash is the second one this year. In January an Air Force F-35A crashed at Eielson AFN in Alaska during training. Fortunately, that pilot also ejected safely.

Although this crash once again raises questions about the aircraft's reliability, the track record of all variants of the F-35 is outstanding. Compaired to other fighter platforms, the jet still has the lowest accident rate after more then 10 years of operations. The fact that the jet is being introduced in many air forces usually sees a rise in accidents, but with the F-35 the opposite is true.