The F-35B’s pilot ejected the jet and survived the crash, which is the first in the history of the hugely expensive weapons programme.
“It’s a total loss,” a US Marine Corps official said.
Images posted on social media showed a plume of black smoke rising above the crash site in Beaufort.
The Marine Corps later confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the “pilot safely ejected from the single-seat aircraft and is currently being evaluated by medical personnel”.
Officials added that there were no civilian injuries.
Launched in the early 1990s, the F-35 is the largest and most expensive military programme of its type across the globe.
Unit costs vary, but F-35s cost around $100m (£76.6m) each.
Britain currently has 15 F-35Bs, but has pledged to purchase 138 in total from American aviation giant Lockheed Martin.
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