A U.S. Navy F-35C with VFA-125 crashed at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The pilot ejected safely.
An F-35C Lightning II jet, hooked up to the “Tough Raiders” of VFA-125, from NAS Lemoore, California, crashed close to the bottom at 18.30LT on Jul. 30, 2025.
The pilot ejected from the jet and is reported protected.
The U.S. Navy has now confirmed that an F-35C Lightning II with the “Tough Raiders” of Strike Fighter Squadron 125 (VFA-125) crashed earlier close to Naval Air Station Lemoore in Central California. The pilot was capable of efficiently and safely eject previous to the crash, and was… pic.twitter.com/8gHPMXy66h
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) July 31, 2025
Whereas the primary stories circulated on-line stated the fifth era plane carried out an emergency touchdown and was later engulfed in flames, the bottom simply printed the next message on their social media channels, simply confirming the incident and the standing of the pilot:
“NAS Lemoore can affirm an aviation incident on the Operations aspect of the set up. At 1830, an F-35C hooked up to the VFA-125 Tough Raiders went down not removed from NAS Lemoore. We are able to affirm the pilot efficiently ejected and is protected. There are not any extra affected personnel.”
F-35C crash in Fresno County – the newest on @KSEE24 at 11:00 pic.twitter.com/2Qs25M9eHv
— Eric Rucker (@EricRuckerNews) July 31, 2025
The VFA-125 is the west coast F-35C FRS (Fleet Alternative Squadron), liable for coaching on the sort. Beforehand generally known as RAG (Readiness Air Group), the position of the the unit is to coach pilots and aircrews after flight coaching and earlier than becoming a member of the fleet. FRSs additionally practice aviators transitioning from different plane and floor crew, together with mechanics.
We reported about VFA-125 in December 2023, when the unit had drawn consideration for working an F-35C that includes a particular mirror-like coating, beforehand noticed solely on check plane assigned to VX-9.
That plane was noticed performing touch-and-go landings aboard the united statesAbraham Lincoln (CVN 72) on Nov. 30, 2023, marking the primary time such a reflective scheme had been documented in a provider atmosphere. Not like earlier examples, the coating on the Tough Raiders’ jet was restricted to the vertical tails and wing sections, leaving the remainder of the airframe with the usual low-observable end. The reflective remedy appeared in alternating darkish and glossy bands, probably associated to counter-IRST (Infrared Search and Monitor) measures or different sensor-related testing.
Whereas the precise objective of the coating stays unknown, its use on an FRS plane aboard a provider prompt a attainable analysis of its sturdiness beneath operational maritime situations, the place RAM (Radar Absorbent Materials) is understood to degrade quickly. The sighting hinted at broader experimentation geared toward addressing the long-term survivability of stealth coatings at sea, an space of rising relevance for the F-35C fleet.
Earlier incidents
This marks the second F-35 crash in 2025. The primary occurred on January 28, when a U.S. Air Power F-35A went down throughout the perimeter of Eielson Air Power Base in Alaska. The pilot ejected safely. The incident rapidly went viral after a dramatic video, filmed from the ramp close to a KC-135R Stratotanker, confirmed the F-35A crashing with its touchdown gear down as a parachute drifted close by.
On the similar time, that is additionally the second F-35C crash ever: on Jan. 24, 2022, a U.S. Navy F-35C belonging to the VFA-147 “Argonauts” was misplaced at sea following a ramp strike whereas trying to land on the united statesCarl Vinson within the South China Sea. The plane, tail quantity 169304, went overboard after impression.
When the mishap occurred, the pilot was getting back from a routine four-hour mission with the callsign JASON 406, accompanied by one other F-35C appearing as flight lead. Whereas returning to the plane provider, the pilot requested to carry out the so-called “Shit Scorching” break for the primary time.
The pilot ejected and was safely recovered from the water, whereas seven sailors have been injured within the incident. This incident was additionally caught on digital camera. A video of the crash was leaked on-line, together with a photograph displaying the plane floating close to the provider simply moments after hitting the ocean. The picture rapidly circulated on social media, changing into the topic of varied memes and humorous posts.
On Mar. 2, 2022, the wreckage was retrieved from a depth of roughly 12,400 ft utilizing a remotely operated automobile and the deep-diving vessel DSCV Picasso.
The investigation decided that reason behind the mishap was discovered to be pilot error:
“The mishap pilot (MP) tried an expedited restoration breaking overhead the provider, an authorized and customary maneuver, however the MP had by no means carried out this maneuver earlier than, and it decreased the period of time to configure the plane and conduct touchdown checks,” the report stated. “Because of the compressed timeline and the MP’s lack of familiarity with the maneuver, the MP misplaced situational consciousness and failed to finish his touchdown guidelines. Particularly, the MP remained in handbook mode when he ought to have been (and thought he was) in an automatic command mode designed to scale back pilot workload throughout landings.”
