Fighter jet crash in Albuquerque prompts questions on F-35 program

WHAT THE JURY ASKED THE JUDGE FOR... HOURS AFTER THEY GOT THE CASE. RIGHT NOW AT FIVE... WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR ANSWERS ABOUT WHAT CAUSED AN F-35 B FIGHTER JET CRASH IN THE SOUTH VALLEY JUST OVER A DAY AGO. BUT ONE THING THAT HAS BEEN CLEAR -- ARE THE PICTURES OF VIDEOS OF THAT FIERY CRASH. MANY OF YOU CAPTURED WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE --DURING-- AND AFTER IT. TODAY... CREWS HAVE BEEN CLEANING UP THE CRASH SITE. FELIZ ROMERO IS NEARBY. FELIZ YOU SPOKE TO AN EXPERT ABOUT THESE FIGHTER JET'S AND THE PROGRAM THAT HAS FACED A LOT OF CRITICISM. TESSA/GIULI--DESPITE SOME OF THAT CRITISM LIKE THE COST AND EFFICIENCY OF THE F-35 PROGRAM....THESE JETS ARE RELATIVELY SAFE. DAN GRAZIER WITH THE STIMSON CENTER TELLS ME AT LEAST IN THE UNITED STATES NO CRASHES HAVE RESULTED IN DEATHS. LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE NEW VIDEO WE GOT TODAY OF THE CRASH. YOU CAN SEE THEM DRIVING UP AND A HUGE PLUME OF SMOKE AND FLAMES TO THEIR LEFT. WE KNOW THIS WAS A F-35B FIGHTER JET MEANT FOR THE MARINES. LOCKHEED MARTIN HAS ALSO CONFRIMED IT WAS TRAVELING FROM. HERE ARE SOME OTHER PHOTOS BEFORE THEY APPROACHED THE CRASH YOU CAN SEE THE PILOT AFTER HE EJECTED THE AIRCRAFT. From a safety standpoint, the F-35 so far is a remarkably safe aircraft. When you consider the number of aircrafts that are being built, the number of flight hours that the program has accumulated since they started flying back in 2006, the crashes are actually relatively rare. GRAZIER TELLS ME THE F-35 PROGRAM IS THE LARGEST, MOST EXPENSIVE MILITARY ACQUISITION PROGRAM IN HISTORY....RIGHT NOW THE TOTAL PROGRAM COSTS ABOUT 2-TRILLION DOLLARS. LIKE WE MENTIONED IN THE PAST THESE F-35'S ARE THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE FOR THE U.S. AND OUR ALLIES. THE F-35-B WHICH WAS THE MODEL IN THIS CRASH---COSTS ABOUT 145 MILLION. COMING UP AT 6... I'LLHA

Channel: KOB 4

Views: 67,499

Keywords: News, Albuquerque, New Mexico, local news, KOB, KOB 4, KOB4, Albuquerque New Mexico

Id: aeq6p6rz7Eo

Length: 2min 12sec (132 seconds)

Published: Thu May 30 2024