The US Army is searching for an F-35 fighter jet that went missing last Sunday after the pilot ejected from the plane in South Carolina airspace.
The case becomes even more unusual because Joint Base Charleston took to social media to ask for help locating the aircraft and asked anyone who might have information to contact the military.
Based on the “last known position,” the country’s military authorities estimate that the fighter jet is somewhere near two large lakes north of Charleston, suggesting it may have crashed in the area.
Highly coveted around the world, including Ukraine, the F-35 Lightning II costs at least $80 million and has a unique shape and features that allow it to evade radars, making it difficult to detect in a situation like this.
“We are still gathering information, the investigation continues,” a spokesman for the military base told Agence France-Presse after this episode.
The plane in question is an F-35B, a Marine-operated variant that can take off and land vertically. The shape of the fuselage, which includes two stabilizers, and the use of specific materials make it more difficult to detect by traditional radars.
Jeremy Huggins, a spokesman for the Charleston base, explained to the Washington Post that the plane’s communications device is not working and that its cloaking capabilities will make it even more difficult to locate it.
The pilot of the plane in question ejected and successfully parachuted into a Charleston neighborhood, leaving the plane to fly without human control. Since his whereabouts have yet to be determined, the case has sparked a wide range of online reactions ranging from disbelief to satire.
“How the hell do you lose an F-35? Since there is no tracking device, what are we asking the public to find a fighter jet and turn it in?” said Rep. Nancy Mace, who represents Charleston. .
There are at least seven other cases of F-35s destroyed in accidents.
Source: TSF
