British fighter jet worth £100m crashes into Mediterranean

An F35-B flying above RAF Marham
An F35-B flying above RAF Marham
Joe Giddens
Max Parry

By Max Parry


Published: 17/11/2021

- 15:59

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 11:09

The pilot on board the F35 ejected from the aircraft before it crashed into the ocean, and has been found safe

A British military fighter jet has crashed into the Mediterranean, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.

The pilot on board the F35 ejected from the aircraft before it crashed into the ocean, and has been found safe.


The F35s, estimated to be worth around £100 million each, are on board the £3 billion warship HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The incident happened at around 10am UK time on Wednesday.

An MoD spokesman confirmed: “A British F35 pilot from HMS Queen Elizabeth ejected during routine flying operations in the Mediterranean this morning.

“The pilot has been safely returned to the ship and an investigation has begun, so it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

Jets from the vessel previously participated in strikes against the remnants of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

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