Japanese F35A Missing

[tomahawk6]

The aircraft was one of 4 flying in Northern Japan. I hope the pilot is recovered safely.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/japanese-air-force-fighter-jet-missing-in-northern-japan

 

[tomahawk6]

Wreckage has been located but no sign of the pilot.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-defence-f35/wreckage-confirmed-to-be-from-crashed-japanese-f-35-fighter-idUSKCN1RM011

 

[tomahawk6]

Race is on to recover as much of the aircraft as possible before the Russians and Chinese can.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/parts-of-missing-japanese-f-35-stealth-jet-found-as-us-destroyer-joins-in-on-search

 

[Colin Parkinson]

That puts the wreck well within the continental shelf surrounding Japan roughly in the area of  40°41'48.47"N 142°59'58.45"E

 

[MarkOttawa]

Where's the Hughes Glomar Explorer when you need it?

https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/30/16361706/the-taking-of-k-129-josh-dean-cia-cold-war-submarines-history-book

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Cloud Cover]

A Chinese ship scrapping company bought it a few years ago.

 

[MarkOttawa]

But did they scrap it ? Cf. HMAS Melbourne:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/meet-australian-aircraft-carrier-jump-started-chinas-own-carrier-quest-38387

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

The plane may be around 1500 meters, but its exact location is unknown.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/daunting-salvage-task-awaits-japanese-f-35-investigators-baffled-by-crash

 

[Good2Golf]

The plane may be around 1500 feet, but its exact location is unknown.

https://japantoday.com/category/national/daunting-salvage-task-awaits-japanese-f-35-investigators-baffled-by-crash

Hmmmm....does anyone find a particular part of the article to be, at least in some small way, ironic?

...Air Self Defense Force (ASDF) investigators have found small sections of the F-35's wing floating in the sea which suggests the advanced aircraft hit the water, but not why it disappeared from radar screens without warning...

???

You’ll know it when you see it... :nod:

 

[Cloud Cover]

Hmmmm....does anyone find a particular part of the article to be, at least in some small way, ironic?

Hmm. The parent company that built the plane could profit from its own subsidiary recovering the same aircraft. Hopefully not an incentive to build aircraft that mysteriously fall into the sea.

 

[Good2Golf]

Was thinking more about when the [stealth] aircraft “disappeared from radar”...

 

[tomahawk6]

Since the aircraft was part of a 4 ship formation a fellow pilot/wingman should have noticed something. The pilot was a Major but didn't have a lot of hours in the F35.Just plain bad luck.

 

[tomahawk6]

The aircraft has been found in Japanese waters.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/US-scrambles-to-keep-F-35-s-secrets-safe-from-Russia-and-China

Aircraft found:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Crashed-F-35A-fighter-jet-located-US-general-says