Two US Navy EA-18G Growler jets collided midair during an air show in Idaho. All four crew members ejected safely before the aircraft crashed and exploded. The incident occurred near Mountain Home Air Force Base, and an investigation is underway.
Two US Navy EA-18G Growler jets collided midair during an aerial demonstration at the Gunfighter Skies Air Show near Mountain Home Air Force Base on Sunday (local time), with all four crew members ejecting safely before the aircraft crashed to the ground, according to Fox News.
According to the news report of Fox News Digital, the incident occurred at around 12:10 p.m. MDT during the second day of the air show in Idaho. The US Navy said the two aircraft were assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ-129 based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet, told Fox News Digital that all four air crew members successfully ejected and were being evaluated by medical personnel after the crash.
According to Fox News, videos circulating on social media appeared to show the two jets colliding in midair before four parachutes deployed. The aircraft were then seen falling to the ground and exploding, sending thick black smoke into the air.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Mountain Home Gunfighters said, "An aircraft incident has occurred at Mountain Home Air Force Base during the Gunfighter Skies Air Show two miles northwest of the base."
"Emergency responders are on the scene, an investigation is underway, and more details will be released as they become available," the statement added.
According to Fox News, Local broadcaster KTVB reported that witnesses saw two jets crash during the show and shared footage showing a large plume of black smoke rising near the base. Emergency crews and law enforcement personnel responded to the scene as authorities began investigating the incident.
The EA-18G Growler is an electronic warfare aircraft from the F/A-18 Super Hornet family, designed to carry out airborne electronic attack missions for the US Navy.
F-35 Fleet Gets Billion-Dollar Upgrade
Meanwhile, the United States has rolled out a nearly one-billion-dollar upgrade programme for its fifth-generation stealth fighter F-35 Lightning 2 fleet, primarily centred on electronic warfare modernisation and advanced combat capability enhancements across hundreds of aircraft operated by both the US military and other foreign operators of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
According to a US Department of War (DoW) contract announcement, Lockheed Martin has been awarded USD 991.1 million to produce and deliver 432 modification kits for F-35 fighter jets.
The order includes 97 aircraft for the US Air Force, 54 for the US Marine Corps, 42 for the US Navy, 106 for Foreign Military Sales customers, and 133 for non-US partner nations participating in the programme.
The upgrades are linked to the F-35's evolving Block 4 modernisation package, which has been described by Lockheed Martin as the "most significant evolution of F-35 capabilities to date".
"Block 4 modernisation - over 70 major upgrades for all three F-35 variants - is the most significant evolution of F-35 capabilities to date, including increased missile capacity, advanced electronic warfare capabilities, improved target recognition and other, classified capabilities," Lockheed Martin said on the latest upgrades.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)