Air Force Removes Wings from Damaged F-35A

ROKAF Salvages Damaged F-35A as Training Platform with First-Ever Wing Removal

The proof-of-concept, which involved a jet damaged after a belly landing, validated the feasibility of the F-35’s wing removal and reinstallation. The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy worked together to successfully remove the wing of a divested South Korean F-35A jet […] The post ROKAF Salvages Damaged F-35A as Training Platform with First-Ever Wing Removal appeared first…

In the course of yesterday, the South Korean Air Force (ROKAF) and the Joint Programme Office (JPO) of the F-35 have announced their association in the Frankenjet project, which seeks to recover the unusable poaching fighters from accidents in order to give them again functionality in the service and thus reduce the impact of their loss. In this case, Seoul became a pioneer in working to rescue the structure of an aircraft for the purpose of emp…

Air Force Removes Wings from Damaged F-35A

MAY 15, 2025 – In January 2022, a Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) F-35A aircraft experienced a bird strike that necessitated an emergency landing with the landing gear retracted. Following a joint assessment by the ROKAF and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), it was determined that the damage resulting from both the bird strike and the gear-up landing was extensive enough to render the aircraft unsuitable for continued operational service.…