Military's pricey F-35 fighter jet catches fire during takeoff in Florida

A fire broke out on a F-35 Joint Strike Fighter after an attempted takeoff at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

The radar-evading, supersonic fighter jet, a nearly $400-billion weapons program under development for more than a decade, experienced the emergency on the ground Monday at 7:15 a.m. Pacific time.

The aircraft was preparing to take off on a training mission, but aborted due to flames that appeared in the back end of the aircraft. Emergency responders then moved in and extinguished the fire with foam, according to an Air Force statement.

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