£100m British fighter jet crashes into Mediterranean

Ryan Hooper and Henry Jones

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.

HMS Queen Elizabeth joins the fight against Daesh
F35B Lightning jets are on board the flagship aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (Cpl Lee ‘Matty’ Matthews/MoD/PA)

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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