F-35 missing, wreckage of American fighter found
American authorities have announced the discovery of debris from the F-35 fighter plane that disappeared in South Carolina on Sunday after an "accident" forced the pilot to eject
The US military found debris from the F-35 fighter jet, the most advanced military jet in the US military, the day after the crash.
Authorities found the remains of the aircraft, an F-35B Lightning II jet, which disappeared from radar on Sunday near Charleston, South Carolina , after the pilot ejected. The Marine Corps confirmed this in a statement. The remains were found about two hours outside the city, and authorities began recovering the debris.
The plane's last known location was near Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, two large bodies of water northwest of the city of Charleston, according to Joint Base Charleston, which had put out a call on social media to ask the public to collaborate with military and civil authorities in the effort to locate and recover the aircraft.
The main advantages of the fighter plane, according to the manufacturer Lockheed Martin, are that it is almost impossible to track with radar and is equipped with advanced sensors and other instruments, reminds Reuters . The F-35 family includes three single-seat variants, including the F-35A conventional take-off and landing jet, the F-35B short take-off/vertical landing variant, and the F-35C carrier variant. Without forgetting that in addition to being one of the most advanced, the aircraft is also one of the most expensive (around 80 million dollars per model).
All the details.
WRECKAGE OF DISPOSED F-35 FOUND
The US military said it found debris from a crashed F-35 fighter jet in South Carolina, a day after asking for the public's help in locating the wreckage.
Joint Base Charleston, which led the search, “will transfer incident command to the USMC [United States Marine Corps] this evening as they begin the recovery process,” the Marine Corps said in a press release. Community members were warned to avoid the area so the recovery team could secure the debris field and begin the recovery process.
JB Charleston said it also coordinated with Marine and Navy units and leaders, as well as the FAA, Civil Air Patrol and local law enforcement throughout South Carolina. The base said investigators have used “both land and air resources” in the operation.
We would like to thank all of our mission partners, as well as local, county, and state authorities, for their dedication and support throughout the search and as we transition to the recovery phase.
— Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 18, 2023
THE INCIDENT ON SUNDAY
The aircraft involved in the September 17 crash was part of Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 501, a unit focused on training pilots to meet annual training requirements, of the Second Marine Wing stationed at the Air Base of Charleston, in the US state of South Carolina.
The pilot was able to safely eject from the plane, after which he was transported to a local medical center in stable condition. The plane was in autopilot mode when the pilot ejected from the plane, said Jeremy Huggins, spokesman for Joint Base Charleston, as reported by NBCnews .
“The incident is currently under investigation and we are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigative process,” the Marines said in Monday's statement.
THE MARINES SUSPEND FLIGHT OPERATIONS
Finally, the Marine Corps announced Monday that it would suspend aviation operations for two days after the fighter plane crash, the third costly accident in recent weeks.
Following three “Class A aviation accidents” in the past six weeks, the Marine Corps has ordered a pause in flight operations, a press release said. During this period, all aviation units within the service will review safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness, the release said. The other two incidents occurred in August. On August 24, a Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet fighter plane crashed near San Diego and the pilot was killed. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
While there is no indication of any connection between the incidents, all incidents are classified as Class A incidents by the Marine Corps, defined as an incident resulting in one death or more than $2.5 million in property damage , CNN specifies.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/f-35-disperso-trovati-i-rottami-del-caccia-americano/ on Tue, 19 Sep 2023 09:03:25 +0000.