[KYODO NEWS] - Tokyo - The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force said Tuesday an F-35A fighter jet deployed at Misawa Air Base in northeastern Japan disappeared from radar over the Pacific during a training exercise.
Crash or Transponder turned off?
The stealth fighter was flying with three other aircraft off the coast of Aomori Prefecture some 135 kilometers east of the base when radar contact was lost around 7:27 p.m., it said.
Radio communication cannot be established with the missing single-crew fighter, and search operations are under way.
Pilot may be in NK or the Middle Kingdom, based on some recent conversations around here, with a hefty 'finders fee' for the pilot....hoping that's not the case and the pilot is found at sea
The fighter is one of 13 F-35As deployed at Misawa.
They've only been there for a month or so
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters the ASDF will ground the 12 remaining F-35As for the time being.
Japan began deploying U.S.-developed F-35As, each of which costs over 10 billion yen ($90 million), in January 2018 to replace the aging F-4 fighter jet. Japan plans to eventually deploy a total of 105 F-35As in addition to 42 F-35B short takeoff aircraft that it will purchase at a later date.
Did they take the domestic 7% parts manufacture option, too? |