South Korean F-35A Lightning II fighter jet landed "on its belly" because of a small bird
An emergency landing of the South Korean fifth-generation fighter F-35A Lightning II was caused by a small bird getting into its engine, Defense Blog writes .
"However, the collision of an airplane with a bird does not explain the avionics failure detected earlier," the newspaper notes.
The incident with the F-35A Lightning II occurred in early January at an airbase 151 kilometers south of Seoul, when the regular landing of the F-35A Lightning II after a training flight was prevented by problems with the landing gear, as a result of which the fighter landed "on its belly". As a result of the incident, the operation of these fighters in South Korea has been suspended.
In the same month, Defense News recognized that the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter produced by the American company Lockheed Martin as a possible candidate to replace the German Tornado aircraft could threaten the joint program of France, Germany and Spain to create a new generation European fighter Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
