A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter crashed in South Carolina on Friday, just outside Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, according to ABC News and other media outlets, citing military officials.
The pilot is presumed to have ejected, but the airman's status is unknown at this time. The military aircraft, recognized as the most expensive weapon in American military history, went down just before noon, just five miles from the air station, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office told The Herald, a local paper, reported.
MCAS is reportedly home to five F/A-18 squadrons and one squadron of F-35Bs.
The incident comes just one day after a US Marine Corps F-35B achieved a milestone in Afghanistan, where the aircraft made its combat debut Thursday against Taliban targets. While their have been accidents, fires, and incidents, such as when an F-35B burst into flames two years ago, this marks the first F-35 crash.