South Korea nails F-35 fighter jets to the ground after emergency landing

The American F-35s are grounded in South Korea. The country made the move, for its entire fleet of fighter jets, pending an investigation into a spectacular emergency landing, officials said on Wednesday (January 5th). With the landing gear of a South Korean F-35A failing during a major systems malfunction, the pilot opted not to eject and landed the plane prone, s’ leaving unscathed.

The incident, which took place at an air force base in the west of the country, has given rise to an investigation during which the South Korean F-35s will be immobilized. “With the investigation underway, the entire (F-35) fleet is on hold,” said a Defense Ministry official. South Korea ordered 40 copies of the F-35A from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin in 2014, receiving the first batch five years later.

An F-35 dives into the Mediterranean

Tuesday’s emergency landing is the first known incident involving a South Korean F-35. ROK Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff Shin Ok-chul gave details of the incident during a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday. The F-35A was flying at low altitude when the pilot heard detonations, prompting him to check the aircraft’s systems, Shin Ok-chul told parliamentarians.

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“All systems had stopped working except for the flight controls and the engine,” he said, adding that the pilot then chose not to eject and decided to attempt a landing on The belly. The military sprayed a special foam on the runway of the air base to prevent an explosion due to the friction caused by the aircraft contacting the surface at high speed, Shin Ok-chul said.

He added that this was the first time an F-35 had attempted a prone landing. The supersonic F-35 Lightning II is one of the most powerful and agile fighters in the world, featuring stealth technology and advanced communications. While its unit cost has fallen in recent years, it is considered the most expensive military technology ever developed by the United States. Prior to this event, the most recent crash was that of a British F-35B that plunged into the Mediterranean when taking off from the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in November. His pilot ejected safely.