FIRST APPEARED IN THE INDEPENDENT
Arrangements are being made to recover an F-35C warplane that crashed into the South China Sea after a landing accident, the US Navy has said.
Seven personnel were injured – including the pilot who ejected – in the incident on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson on Monday.
“I can confirm the aircraft impacted the flight deck during landing and subsequently fell to the water,” said Lieutenant Nicholas Lingo, spokesperson for the US 7th Fleet.
“The US Navy is making recovery operations arrangements for the F-35C aircraft.”
Asked about reports suggesting there were fears the aircraft could fall into the hands of China, he replied, referring to the People’s Republic of China: “We cannot speculate on what the PRC’s intentions are on this matter.”
It is the second crash involving a Lockheed Martin-made F-35 and a carrier in just over two months.
An F-35 from HMS Queen Elizabeth crashed into the Mediterranean in November, though the pilot safely ejected.
That aircraft was later recovered by British teams.
Earlier this month, a South Korean F-35A fighter made an emergency landing during training.
And in April 2019, a Japanese F-35 stealth fighter crashed in the Pacific close to northern Japan, killing the pilot.
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China and US in race to salvage ‘flying computer’ fighter jet
Stuti Mishra
The US army is racing to retrieve its sunken F-35C fighter jet that crashed in the disputed waters of the South China Sea during a “landing mishap” earlier this week.
The F-35C warplane was trying to land on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson- US Navy via AP
Experts say the US will face a major setback in the race between the world’s two superpowers if China finds the jet first.
It was flying over the international waters, which Beijing claims as its own territory, when it crashed while attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson on Monday.
The US navy said in a statement on Tuesday that it occurred during “routine operations”, injuring seven sailors, including the pilot, who ejected from the plane before it fell into the sea.
The presence of the fighter jet in the South China Sea is in itself being perceived as a challenge to China’s territorial claims.
The multimillion-dollar aircraft wreckage, however, raises more problems for the US.
The F-35C Lightning II combat jet, which costs over $100m (£74.6m), has cutting-edge technology and classified equipment that the US would not want China to get its hands on.
While the US army is already making efforts to reach the spot of the sunken jet, China has a geographical advantage.
“The US Navy is making recovery operations arrangements for the F-35C aircraft involved in the mishap aboard USS Carl Vinson in the South China Sea,” the country’s 7th Fleet said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We’re certainly mindful of the value of an F-35 in every respect of what value means,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told a briefing on Thursday.
“And as we continue to attempt recovery of the aircraft we’re going to do it, obviously, with safety foremost in mind, but clearly our own national security interests. And I think I will just leave it at that.”
Video: Why this controversial fighter jet may cost $1.7 trillion (Business Insider)
