The US Air Force refers to it as the “Frankenjet,” a stealth fighter crafted from the components of two F-35s that were damaged in accidents and is now operational and ready for combat.
According to a report from the military’s F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) released on Wednesday, the “Frankenjet” is fully functional and prepared to assist the warfighter.
This repurposed aircraft has its roots in 2014, when an F-35A, designated AF-27, experienced a “catastrophic engine failure” just before takeoff during a training exercise at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, as detailed in an Air Force report.
The aircraft suffered significant damage to its rear section. An investigation revealed that fragments from a broken engine rotor arm penetrated the engine’s fan case, engine bay, an internal fuel tank, and hydraulic and fuel lines before exiting through the upper fuselage of the aircraft.
The ensuing fire consumed the rear two-thirds of the fighter jet.
On June 8, 2020, another F-35A, known as AF-211, encountered a failure of its nose landing gear upon landing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, leading to extensive damage to that aircraft as well.
As a result, the Air Force was left with two salvageable sections from the $75 million fighter jets: the nose of AF-27 and the rear of AF-211.
In a strategic move in 2022, teams opted not to discard both jets as losses. Instead, they decided to detach the nose from AF-27 and attach it to AF-211, aiming to optimize savings and reintegrate an operational aircraft into the fleet, as reported by the F-35 Joint Program Office.
Scott Taylor, the lead mechanical engineer at Lockheed Martin, provided context for this initiative in a 2023 news release.
“Theoretically, all sections of the aircraft can be separated and reassembled, but this has never been accomplished before,” Taylor stated. “This marks the first F-35 ‘Franken-bird’ in history.”
The modifications took place at Hill Air Force Base, utilizing “entirely new, unique specialized tooling, fixtures, and equipment,” according to a 2023 Air Force press release.
After nearly two and a half years of repairs, the Frankenjet successfully took to the skies for the first time in January, flying from Hill AFB to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
“The inaugural flight of the rebuilt aircraft pushed the limits of its performance envelope, and it operated as if it had just come off the production line,” said Jeffrey Jensen, the lead engineer for the F-35A variant, in a press release.
At the end of last month, the Frankenjet returned to Hill AFB and was assigned to the 338th Fighter Wing, the same unit that originally operated AF-211.
The military reported that the cost of the Frankenjet project was $11.7 million, resulting in a savings of $63 million for the Pentagon and taxpayers compared to the expense of acquiring a new replacement aircraft.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the US Air Force currently has 383 F-35As in its inventory.
The F-35A is one of three variants of the US military’s stealth fighter. The Marine Corps operates the F-35B, which is capable of short take-offs and vertical landings, while the Navy utilizes the F-35C, designed for aircraft carrier operations.
F-35s have gained popularity among US allies and partners, with 17 other nations either operating or in the process of acquiring these jets, as noted by Lockheed Martin.
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