Missing US $150 million F-35 plane found

The F-35 stealth fighter plane, which disappeared after its pilot ejected due to a ‘mishap’ over the weekend, has been found. The US military asked for help from the public to find the F-35 aircraft, which it built to have a very low radar signature. After intense search efforts, the wreckage of the missing F-35 aircraft was found in rural South Carolina, USA.

Missing F-35 found

Officials announced that the wreckage of the F-35, which had a total program cost of $150 million, was found in the rural Williamsburg area, two hours northeast of Charleston Air Force Base. Authorities had been searching for the jet since the unnamed pilot parachuted into a North Charleston neighborhood around 2 p.m. Sunday. The pilot was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, Marine Maj. Melanie Salinas said.

Following the incident, Acting Commander of the US Marine Corps, General Eric Smith, ordered all aviation units inside and outside the US not to fly for two days. According to the authorities, this incident is the third incident documented as a “Class A mishap” in the last six weeks. A Class A mishap occurs when damage is $2.5 million or more, a Department of Defense aircraft is destroyed, or a person is killed or permanently disabled.

Why did it take so long to find the F-35?

Although how the F-35 disappeared is still under investigation, authorities think that after the pilot jumped from the plane, the jet went into autopilot mode, thus remaining in the air for a while. It is also stated that the jet’s transponder was disabled and detection of the plane became difficult due to its very low radar signature.

However, the missing F-35 jet brought some criticism. Aside from the “missing F-35 postings” made by civilians on social media, Republican House of Representatives member Nancy Mace said, “How could you lose an F-35? “How come there isn’t a tracking device and what do we want the public to do, find a jet and deliver it?” he said.

On its website, aerospace giant Lockheed Martin describes the F-35 series as “the world’s most advanced fighter jet” as well as “the most lethal, stealthy and survivable aircraft.” The F-35 family includes three single-seat versions: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing jet, the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant, and the ship-based F-35C carrier.