A US F-35 stealth bomber suffered millions of dollars in damage after colliding with a bird during take-off from an air base in Japan, the US Marine Corp said in a statement Wednesday.

"On May 7, 2019 an F-35B with Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing aborted take-off due to a bird strike at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and safely taxied off the runway," the statement said.

The pilot was not hurt in the incident, it said.

Photographs circulating on social media showed what appeared to a kind of falcon stuck beneath the plane.

A damage assessment report has not yet been completed but the Marine Corps classified the incident as category "A," meaning the damage is expected to exceed $2 million.

The F-35 program was launched in the 1990s and has cost almost $400 billion, making it the most expensive weapons system ever developed by the Pentagon.

The defense department plans to build some 2,500 of the warplanes in the decades to come.

The F-35B is a short take-off and landing variant of the plane, developed for the Marine Corps. Each plane costs $115 million to build.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Trade war threat adds to Boeing woes
New York (AFP) May 13, 2019
Already in crisis mode over the grounding of its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft, Boeing now finds itself at risk of becoming collateral damage in the US-China trade dispute. The editor of Communist party-owned Global Times newspaper said Monday that Boeing's order book could take a hit as Beijing parries Washington in the escalating trade fight. "China may stop purchasing US agricultural products and energy, reduce Boeing orders and restrict US service trade with China," Global Times editor Hu Xij ... read more