See the US Air Force’s ‘Franken-bird’ F-35 made from wrecked stealth fighters take its first flight
- A salvaged F-35 fighter made from two wrecked aircraft is set to return to the US Air Force’s fleet.
- The restoration began in 2023. The jet took its maiden flight in January less than two years later.
- The “Franken-bird” cost about $6 million to repair, whereas a new F-35 costs over $80 million.
A one-of-a-kind F-35 stealth fighter built from two wrecked aircraft is set to make an unprecedented return to the US Air Force’s operational fleet.
The so-called “Franken-bird” was restored through a collaboration between airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, the F-35A Lightning II Joint Program Office, and Lockheed Martin.
The F-35 JPO first assessed the feasibility of the restoration project in January 2020, and work on a pieced-together stealth fighter began in late 2023 at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex.
“All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it’s just never been done before,” Scott Taylor, Lockheed Martin’s lead mechanical engineer on the project, said in a press release announcing the project in 2023. “This is the first F-35 ‘Frankin-bird’ to date. This is history.”
Less than two years later, the “Franken-bird” jet made its maiden flight on January 16. Following the successful functional check flight, the salvaged F-35 is set to undergo final tests and work before returning to combat status.
