Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

F-35 Sustains $2.5Mln Damage After Its Own Round Hits Hull During Training Flight

F-35 Sustains $2.5Mln Damage After Its Own Round Hits Hull During Training Flight

The fifth-generation stealth fighter has faced numerous obstacles on its way to being introduced to the US Air Force including repeatedly broken deadlines and numerous extensions to the multi-billion development budget. However, even after the end of the development, the jet boasts a plethora of bugs that emerge from time to time.

One of the US' F-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter jets, operated by the Marine Corps, has suffered damage to its hull caused by the jet's own 25mm projectile's explosion during a 12 March training flight at the Yuma Range Complex, Military.com news outlet reported citing Corps spokesman Andrew Wood.

The F-35B modification, which enables shorter take-offs and landings, managed to land safely with no one injured in the accident. However, the aircraft itself will have to undergo repairs which will cost around $2.5 million, the magazine added.

An F-35A releases ordnance during a dual capable aircraft (DCA) test flight in the skies above Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 27, 2019.


The marines are still investigating the cause of the incident. So far, the only thing known is that a 25mm semi-armour piercing high explosive round fired from the F-35B's GAU-22 Gatling gun exploded shortly after leaving the weapon's barrel. It is unclear if the shot, embedded with tracer for training purposes, was fired deliberately.

All versions of the F-35 come equipped with GAU-22 guns. Although the basic F-35 variant has its hidden inside the fuselage, the F-35Bs carry it in the external pod. The investigation should determine whether the incident was a result of pilot error, or a malfunction of either a gun or the 25mm rounds. The latter are often used by the jets in aerial combat against enemy fighters, but can also be effective in destroying ground enemy forces and vehicles, including armoured ones.

High-Tech Jet Riddled With Issues


This is not the first time F-35 jets have faced problems, despite having been in development for several decades with the budget having been extended several times. Some of the bugs were deemed "critical" and prevented the jet from being employed by the US military for some time. The jet's creator, Lockheed Martin has been working on fixing those issues over the past few years, as well as on refining the costs of their maintenance.

The Pentagon was reportedly not satisfied with the defence company's work so far. According to Aviation Week & Space Technology, Acting Defence Secretary under President Trump, Christopher Miller called the F-35 programme a "piece of shit" and lambasted Lockheed Martin's lack of progress in reducing the sustainment costs for the fifth-generation jet down to a planned $25,000 per hour. Miller said that high maintenance costs might prevent the Pentagon from buying 48 to 60 jets a year as was originally planned.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×