Suck on a bird the F-35A fighter landed on its belly

F-35A made an emergency landing at Seosan after sucking the bird, but officials did not say why the landing gear didn’t work, causing the plane to land on its belly.

Suck on a bird the F-35A fighter landed on its belly

Preliminary investigation results released by South Korean and US officials last weekend showed that a bird was sucked into the left air intake of the stealth fighter and made a series of loud noises, forcing the pilot to control the aircraft. Check the aircraft’s equipment and initiate the emergency landing procedure.

However, the investigation results did not reveal why the entire avionics system and landing gear of the F-35A did not work, forcing the pilot to perform a belly landing and grinding the fighter along the runway at the airport. Seosan base.

The Korean Air Force announced that it will hold an additional investigation to assess the exact cause of the incident, with the support of a team of experts from the US. The force also urged local media to avoid “reporting based on speculation” because of the sensitivity of the issue.

This is the first time an F-35 has performed a belly landing. The South Korean military has not released images or damage levels of the F-35A.

Experts say that Seoul can spend a lot of time and money to repair the damage, because the aircraft uses special coatings, along with many composite parts and the fighter’s complex fuselage structure to prevent damage. ensure stealth.

This is the first incident with a Korean stealth fighter revealed, but the F-35 fighters in the US Air Force have many times had problems with the landing gear. An F-35A belonging to the US 388th Fighter Wing once collapsed at Hill base in June 2020, causing the nose with many sensors to be smashed into the taxiway.

South Korea signed a contract to buy 40 F-35A fighters from the US in 2014 worth about 6.6 billion USD. Seoul also plans to buy 20 more F-35s for $3.3 billion in 2019, including a version of the F-35B with short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities for carrier deployment. Light aircraft is expected to operate from 2033.

The F-35 is considered an important component of South Korea’s pre-emptive strike strategy to deter North Korea.

F-35A is a stealth fighter version developed for the US Air Force and allied countries. It is the smallest and lightest variant in the F-35 series, much more maneuverable than the Marine F-35B and Navy F-35C, and the only F-35 to carry the GAU cannon. -22/A caliber 25 mm in fuselage.