A USAF F-35A assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., caught fire Friday morning while preparing to take off during an exercise at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho. The pilot shut down the engine and performed an emergency egress, 56th FW spokesman Lt. Col. Matt Hasson said Monday. The fire, in the aft section of the aircraft, was extinguished quickly, according to a release. Eight airmen, including the pilot, were taken to the base medical center for evaluation, but were unharmed. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Seven F-35s from Luke deployed to Mountain Home on Sept. 10 for two weeks of training. The other six aircraft returned to Luke on Saturday and are continuing to fly, Hasson said.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.