F-22 Crashes In California Desert Near Air Base
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — There’s still no word on the fate of the pilot of an F-22 fighter jet that crashed Wednesday in the high desert of Southern California.
The F-22 Raptor, one of the Air Force’s top-of-the-line fighters, crashed 35 miles from Edwards Air Force Base.
The Pentagon says rescue crews headed to the scene.
A spokesman says the jet, assigned to Edwards, was on a test mission.
The F-22s, which can evade radar, each cost $140 million, and are designed for air dominance. The planes can carry air-to-air missiles, but are capable of ground attack as well.
Opponents contend that a different warplane under development, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, is more versatile and less costly at $80 million per plane.
