The U.S. Air Force has created a “Frankenjet,” a unique stealth fighter built from the parts of two F-35s that were damaged in accidents. This jet is now fully operational and combat-ready. The military’s F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) confirmed this in a report, stating that the Frankenjet is ready to support military operations.
The story of this one-of-a-kind jet began in 2014 when an F-35A, identified as AF-27, experienced catastrophic engine failure during a training mission at Florida’s Eglin Air Force Base. The failure caused a major fire that destroyed the back two-thirds of the aircraft, severely damaging the engine and internal components.
A few years later, on June 8, 2020, another F-35A, AF-211, was also severely damaged during landing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The aircraft’s nose landing gear failed, causing significant damage to the front of the jet.
Rather than scrapping both planes, the Air Force decided to salvage usable parts from each. In 2022, engineers began an ambitious project to combine the front section of AF-27 with the rear of AF-211. This effort aimed to save costs and return an operational fighter to the fleet. The project involved new specialized tools and fixtures, which had never been used before in this way. According to Scott Taylor, lead mechanical engineer for Lockheed Martin, this was the first time such a procedure had been done with an F-35, marking a historic achievement.
The repairs took almost two and a half years, but in January 2023, the Frankenjet took its first flight. The rebuilt aircraft performed just as well as a newly produced F-35, passing tests that pushed it to the limits of its performance capabilities. In February 2023, the jet was returned to Hill AFB and assigned to the 338th Fighter Wing, the same unit that originally operated AF-211.
The total cost of the Frankenjet project was $11.7 million, which represents a significant savings compared to the cost of replacing the aircraft. The U.S. Air Force now has 383 F-35As in its fleet, and these jets are also used by several allied nations.
The F-35 is part of a family of stealth aircraft, with different versions designed for various military branches, including the Marine Corps’ F-35B (a short takeoff and vertical landing aircraft) and the Navy’s F-35C (designed for aircraft carrier operations). F-35s are also in use by 17 countries worldwide.