On December 3, the US military said a fighter jet of the US Air Force's Thunderbirds demonstrator team fell into the southern California desert, but the pilot managed to get off the seat safely.
According to the San Bernardino Fire Department, the pilot was taken to the hospital for treatment and was not in danger of death.
The F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed at around 10:45 a.m. (local time) during a training flight "over the controlled airspace in California", according to the Nellis Air Force Station (Nevada).
Firefighters said they received a notice of an airline-related emergency near the town of Trona, in the Mojave desert, about 290km north of Los Angeles.
The accident is being investigated and information will be updated by the Press Office of Division 57, according to the US Air Force.
Due to its long production period, the value of the F-16 has changed significantly over time.
According to experts' analysis, the first variants F-16A and F-16B (1-seat and 2-seat versions) were sold in the early 1980s for about 13 million USD.
Later upgraded versions such as the F-16C and F-16D cost nearly $20 million. With newer variants, the F-16E and F-16F have starting prices of around $25 - 30 million, but upgrades and additions could push this figure to $60 - 70 million.
Less than two months ago, the US also faced a series of military aircraft losses worth tens of millions of dollars.
On October 26, a MH-60R Seahawk helicopter (worth about $37 million) of the 73 Battle Cats Maritime Assault Helicopters (HSM) crashed at 2:45 p.m. (local time) while conducting regular operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, according to the US Navys Pacific fleet. The 3 crew members were rescued by rescue forces.
About 30 minutes later, at 3:15 p.m., an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter (about 70 million USD) of the 22 Fighting Redcocks attack squadron (VFA) also crashed while performing a mission from the Nimitz ship. The two crew members successfully parachuted and were rescued safely.
Both accidents on October 26 occurred in the East Sea.
