US military asks for help finding its lost stealth jet
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The F-35 fighter planes, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, cost around US$80 million (S$109 million) each.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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Washington – A stealth-capable US fighter jet vanished on Sunday – not from prying eyes but rather from the American military, prompting an unusual call to the public to help locate the missing multimillion-dollar plane.
In what the authorities labelled a “mishap”, a pilot flying an F-35 in the southern state of South Carolina on Sunday afternoon ejected from the craft.
The pilot survived, but the United States military was left with an expensive problem: It could not find the jet, leading Joint Base Charleston to ask for help from local residents.
“If you have any information that may help our recovery teams locate the F-35, please call the Base Defence Operations Centre,” a post from the base read on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The base authorities said they were searching, in coordination with federal aviation regulators, around two lakes north of Charleston city.
The planes, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, cost around US$80 million (S$109 million) each. AFP
