It has emerged that the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) F-35A that made a belly landing on Jan. 4 was struck by a bird while in the air.
A Republic of Korea Air Force, F-35A Lightning II banks left during a refueling mission March 15, 2019, in Ariz. The aircraft’s electronic sensors contain the Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS), a system that provides pilots with situational awareness in the area surrounding the aircraft for enhanced missile and aircraft warning, and day/night pilot vision. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Leala Marquez)
The damage was to the left engine intake of the fighter and experts are trying to determine why the landing gear failed to deploy after the bird strike.
The poor bird must have been totally unaware of the fact it should give way to such a “wonder” 😉