The US Air Force calls it "Frankenjet," a stealth fighter assembled from parts of two F-35s destroyed in air crashes, now back in service and ready for war.
"'Frankenjet' is fully operational and combat-ready," a report from the Army's F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) said Wednesday.
The recycled fighter jet originated in 2014, when an F-35A about to take off on a training mission from Florida's Eglin Air Force Base suffered a "catastrophic engine failure."
The aircraft, known as AF-27, also suffered extensive damage to its rear.
"Parts of a broken engine rotor blade severed the engine fan housing, engine compartment, internal fuel tank, and hydraulic and fuel lines before exiting through the upper fuselage of the aircraft," the investigation report said.
The ensuing fire burned the rear two-thirds of the fighter jet. Then, on June 8, 2020, the nose landing gear on another F-35A, known as AF-211, failed during a landing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, causing severe damage to the fighter jet, according to reports on the incident.
Thus, the Air Force was left with two usable $75 million parts of the fighter jets - the nose of the AF-27 and the rear of the AF-211.
Rather than scrap both aircraft as a loss, the teams made a bold decision in 2022 to remove the nose from the AF-27 and place it on the remaining AF-211, maximizing savings and adding an operational aircraft to the US fleet.
Scott Taylor, chief mechanical engineer for manufacturer Lockheed Martin, said that all sections of the aircraft could theoretically be disassembled and reassembled, but this had never been done before.
"This is the first F-35 'Frankin-bird' to date. We've made history," Taylor said.
The work was done at Hill AFB, with all-new, unique, specialized tools and equipment. Nearly two and a half years of repairs paid off in January, when the Frankenjet flew for the first time, from Hill AFB to Lockheed Martin's F-35 facility in Texas.
"On its first flight, the rebuilt aircraft performed as if it had just rolled off the original production line," Jeffrey Jensen, the chief engineer for the F-35A variant, said in a press release.
Late last month, the Frankenjet returned to Hill AFB and was assigned to serve the 338th Fighter Wing, the same unit to which the AF-211 aircraft originally belonged.
The Frankenjet project cost the US Air Force $11.7 million, saving the Pentagon and taxpayers $63 million.
The U.S. Air Force has 383 F-35As in its fleet, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The F-35A is one of three versions of the U.S. military's stealth fighter. The Marine Corps flies the F-35B — a short-takeoff, vertical-landing aircraft — and the Navy flies the F-35C, designed for aircraft carrier operations.
The F-35 has also become a popular choice for U.S. allies and partners, with 17 countries having purchased such aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin. (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
