USMC F-35Bs damaged in lightning strike over Japan

A pair of US Marine Corps (USMC)-operated Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs have been damaged after the two fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighters were recently struck by lightning in the vicinity of Makurazaki, Japan. Following the incident, the two aircraft recovered safely to their base at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni in Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture. Neither pilot was injured as a result of the lightning strike. However, inspections of both aircraft after landing revealed severe damage, sufficient enough to lead