A pilot is safe after ejecting from an F-35 fighter jet that crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, officials said.

The U.S. Air Force has dramatically plussed-up contracts with General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, both of which now have a ceiling of $3.5 billion, to continue work on prototype next-generation jet engines.

The pilot declared an emergency and ejected before the plane went down Tuesday afternoon, military officials said.