A F-22 fighter jet crashed near the Edwards Air Force Base in California on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the US Air Force tells BNO News.

The aircraft, which was carrying one person, went down in the desert. “It did crash, rescue crews are en-route and the status of the pilot and the cause of the crash is still unknown,” the spokeswoman said.

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It is primarily an air superiority fighter, but has multiple capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles.

The United States Air Force considers the F-22 a critical component of the US strike force, and claims that the F-22 cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft. Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Chief of the Australian Defense Force, said in 2004 that the “F-22 will be the most outstanding fighter plane ever built.”

Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley. It is six nautical miles (11 km) southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and 7 miles (11 km) due east of Rosamond. It is named in memory of U.S. Air Force test pilot Glen Edwards, who died at the base while testing the YB-49 Flying Wing.