The U.S. military will go to extraordinary lengths to recover a downed jet—both to salvage it for parts and to ensure it does not fall into the hands of adversaries.

Every once in a while, unfortunate news about a fighter jet crash circulates. Fighter jets are marvels of engineering and technology: the most advanced aircraft can fly faster than the speed of sound and carry tens of thousands of munitions. But cutting-edge performance often comes with high risk.

Although a fighter jet crash is violent, it does not always result in the complete destruction of the aircraft. So, what happens when a fighter jet crashes but is not completely destroyed? 

Recovering a Crashed Fighter Jet—or Destroying It

Much like other aircraft, fighter jets are composed of hundreds of different parts. When a fighter jet crashes, whether in peace or war, the U.S. military will always try and recover it. Indeed, the U.S. military will go to extraordinary lengths to find and retrieve an aircraft that has crashed.  

For example, back in January 2022, a U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter jet crashed while attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson in the South China Sea. The aircraft fell into the ocean, but the pilot managed to eject safely. With the help of specialized craft and sensors, the Navy determined the location of the advanced fighter jet at a depth of more than 12,000 feet. Using diving vessels, the Navy recovered the jet before the Chinese Navy could get its hands on it. The Royal Navy followed similar procedures when it lost an F-35B Lightning II fighter jet in the Mediterranean Sea in 2021.  

If the U.S. military knows the fallen aircraft’s location but cannot access it—for instance, if it crashes in a hostile war zone—it will instead try to destroy it so it does not fall into the wrong hands. For instance, during Operation Neptune Spear, the May 2011 raid that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, one of SEAL Team Six’s Black Hawk helicopters was damaged during its landing. The SEALs destroyed the helicopter with explosives before departing.

Cannibalizing a Fallen Fighter Jet for Parts 

If the military can salvage parts of a destroyed aircraft, it usually does. In fact, it is standard operational procedure to cannibalize parts from aircraft and transfer them to others. But it is quite rare to take almost half a fighter jet and contribute to another.  

There is one F-35A Lightning II serving in the U.S. Air Force that is the result of combining two crashed jets. Nicknamed the “Frankenjet,” the F-35A in question is fully operational despite its parts coming from two wrecked aircraft.  

In terms of the donors, the first aircraft, an F-35A numbered as AF-27, was wrecked when it failed to take off during an exercise in 2014; the Air Force’s diagnosis was catastrophic engine failure.  

The second aircraft, an F-35A numbered as AF-211, crashed during landing in 2020. The crash caused severe damage throughout the aircraft.  

The Frankenjet consists of the AF-27’s nose and the AF-211’s rear. Combining the two aircraft was still cheaper than purchasing another; depending on the version, an F-35 can cost over $100 million.

The F-35 Lightning II is a multi-role stealth fighter jet. The fifth-generation aircraft comes in three versions: A, B, and C. Essentially the same aircraft, each version brings slightly different capabilities in terms of deployment. For example, the “A” is the conventional take-off version; the “B” is the Short Take-Off, Vertical Landing (STOVL) iteration; finally, the “C” is the aircraft carrier version.  

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou  

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

Image: Shutterstock / viktor95.

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