F-35, what happened to the US Navy aircraft in the South China Sea
Landing accident for a US Navy fighter on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during "routine flight operations". All the details
Another accident for an F-35, the fifth generation fighter built by the American Lockheed Martin.
An F-35C Lighting II – the variant of the fighter designed for offshore carrier operations – was engaged in "routine flight operations" when it crashed on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier sailing the South China Sea.
At least seven sailors were injured in the crash of a US Navy F-35 during a landing aboard the American aircraft carrier. This was reported by the US Pacific Fleet Command, according to which the accident occurred late yesterday evening, January 24th.
The cause of the accident is being investigated.
The accident is the first for an F-35C and the last involving stealth fighters after the RAF F-35B crashed in the Mediterranean last November , not counting the accidents (three) that have occurred in the last three years .
All the details.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE F-35 C OF THE USA MARINA
A Navy statement said the crash occurred during "routine flight operations" in the South China Sea.
The pilot ejected and sustained no injuries. Three of the seven injured sailors were evacuated to a medical center in Manila, Philippines, and are said to be in "stable condition".
A spokesman for the 7th Navy Fleet in Japan, Lieutenant Mark Langford, said the impact on the Vinson's flight deck was "superficial", CNN reports. The aircraft carrier has in fact resumed normal operations.
OPERATIONS IN THE SOUTH CHINESE SEA
On Sunday, the Pentagon launched a new military exercise with the entry of the two US aircraft carriers, the Carl Vinson and the Abraham Lincoln, into the waters of the South China Sea. The maneuvers include anti-submarine warfare operations; of air warfare and naval interdiction aimed at strengthening the combat readiness of US forces, reads a statement from the Department of Defense. Furthermore, the Pentagon has made it clear that the exercises will take place in international waters and in accordance with international law.
ALL LATEST ACCIDENTS
Monday's incident in the South China Sea is the second involving an F-35 this year.
On January 4 , a South Korean F-35 pilot made an "emergency landing" at an airbase. According to the South Korean Air Force, his landing gear was malfunctioning due to electronic problems.
Last November, a British F-35B crashed in the Mediterranean Sea off the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. It was the first time a British F-35 had crashed, but it is not the first accident involving the fifth generation fighter manufactured by Lockheed Martin. As CNN recalls, in September 2018, a United States Marine Corps F-35B crashed in South Carolina, the first ever F-35 crash.
In April 2019, a Japanese F-35A crashed in the Pacific Ocean off northern Japan . In May 2020, a U.S. Air Force F-35A crashed in Florida during routine training, but the pilot managed to eject himself safely. Finally, last April a Marine Corps F-35B was damaged by a shot fired with its own cannon.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/f-35-us-navy-incidente-mar-cinese-meridionale/ on Tue, 25 Jan 2022 14:03:44 +0000.