Lost: An F-35 fighter jet, somewhere over South Carolina. If you find it, call the Marine Corps.
On Monday, a number of government and civilian agencies were still searching for a missing F-35, a day after a pilot on a training mission was ejected and the military officer inexplicably lost track of the stealth plane, which can reach supersonic speeds.
Joint Base Charleston He even made an unusual plea for public help, posting a phone number to call with any information about the missing F-35.
The search sparked widespread speculation. Was the plane still in the air, perhaps flying on autopilot? Had it crashed undetected into a lake or the ocean? Does the Pentagon really have no method of tracking him?
“How the hell do you lose an F-35?” Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina and First woman graduate from the Citadel, he asked his social media followers.. “How come there is no tracking device and we ask the public what, find a plane and deliver it?”
The mystery began when a Navy pilot used an emergency parachute to eject from the F-35B Lightning II Sunday afternoon over North Charleston, South Carolina. He was taken to a local medical center and was stable. condition there, Jeremy Huggins, spokesman for Joint Base Charleston, said Sunday.
It was unclear why the pilot had to retire. A second F-35 pilot who had also been on the training mission landed safely, reported Tech. Sgt. said James Cason, another base spokesman.
On Monday afternoon, about 24 hours after the pilot ejected, Sergeant Cason said the search for the F-35 continued.
“Clearly, as everyone can see, he has not been located yet,” he said.
According to the last known position of the missing plane, the base had been centered in an area around Lake Moultrie, a large lake about 33 miles north of Charleston, and Lake Marion, the state’s largest lake, in coordination with the Joint Base of the Federal Aviation Administration. Charleston saying.
The Marines, their Second Marine Aircraft Wing, Navy regional authorities in the Southeast, the Civil Air Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration participated in the search. Law enforcement teams from across the state were also helping.
The disappearance caused jokes and memes on different social networks.
On Threads, the Instagram platform, the Actor Misha Collins wrote. below a photo of the plane: “That’s what happens to them for leaving the keys in the ignition. In other news, check out my new Craigslist ad. No lowball offers!
“What is the problem?” Tim Robinsonasked the editor-in-chief of Aerospace, the journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society, on X (formerly Twitter). He posted a photo of an F-35 on a golf course. “I just snuck out to play a quick round of golf.”
More seriously, the missing plane raised broader safety concerns.
The Marines issued a statement Monday saying that Gen. Eric M. Smith, acting commandant of the Marines, had ordered all Marine Corps aviation units to conduct a two-day “pause in operations” this week. to discuss aviation security issues and best practices.
The statement said the directive came after three “Class A aviation mishaps” in the past six weeks. These mishaps involve property damage of $2.5 million or more, according to a Marine Corps document.
During the “safety standdown,” aviation commanders will lead discussions with Marines focusing on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness, according to the statement.
The F-35 is one of three types of small aircraft that have been manufactured for the US military.
The F-35B, which can take off and land vertically as well as hover in place, is only operated by the Marine Corps, which can fly them from both aircraft carriers and smaller amphibious assault ships.
The aircraft is designed to carry weapons such as air-to-air missiles and guided bombs in internal bays, which reduces the warplane’s radar signature, making it difficult for potential enemies to find it. That stealth may also be partially responsible for why the Pentagon appears to have lost contact with the plane.
Made by Lockheed MartinThe F-35B Lightning II completed its first combat strikes for the Marine Corps in Afghanistan in 2018.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is the Department of Defense’s most expensive weapons systems program, with estimates that it will cost nearly $1.7 trillion to purchase, operate and maintain the aircraft and systems over its lifetime. the Government Accountability Office said in a report published in may
The cost of the Marine Corps aircraft has varied over the life of the program. The federal government said it was as low as 70 million dollars in 2012and the Project on Government Oversight said it was the most up to 135 million dollars in 2020.
Juan Ismay and Christina Hauser contributed with reports.
