EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The Pentagon has confirmed that an F-22 Raptor has crashed outside of Edwards Air Force Base.

According to the Kern County Fire Department, the plane crashed near Kramer Junction, in the San Bernardino County.

Lockheed Martin says one of its test pilots was killed in the crash of an Air Force F-22 Raptor in the California desert.

The company said in a statement late Wednesday that the pilot was 49-year-old David Cooley.

The F-22, the Air Force's top of the line fighter jet, went down northeast of Edwards Air Force Base during a test mission Wednesday morning.

Cooley was a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003.

The Raptors retail upwards of $145 million a piece.

The last F-22 accident was in December 2004 during the test and evaluation phase, when the pilot ejected safely but the test aircraft was destroyed.

According to the US Air Force Website, The F-22A features a combination of sensor capability, integrated avionics, situational awareness, and weapons provides first-kill opportunity against threats.

The F-22A possesses a sophisticated sensor suite allowing the pilot to track, identify, shoot and kill air-to-air threats before being detected.

Significant advances in cockpit design and sensor fusion improve the pilot's situational awareness.

In the air-to-air configuration the Raptor carries six AIM-120 AMRAAMs and two AIM-9 Sidewinders.