A F-35 pilot spent 50 minutes on a conference call mid-air with engineers to solve a problem with a $200 million jet before it plummeted onto the runway at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, forcing him to eject from the aircraft, according to a report.

The following is the Nov. 28, 2025, Congressional Research Service in focus report U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft. From the Report The U.S. Air Force is developing a new type of uncrewed weapon system called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).