A US F-35 stealth fighter worth $143 million malfunctioned when it landed on the top of the deck of the USS Carl Vinson, but the pilot ejected before it plunged into the South China Sea.
The accident happened last Monday when the US Navy was conducting operations as usual. Injured in the mishap were the pilot and six sailors on board the aircraft carrier, as seen in the leaked video of the accident.
US Stealth Fighter Crashes in the South China Sea
The F-35C was doing its usual landing procedure when the accident happened. The plane went right and dunked into the water, and the US aircraft carrier was only recently certified to operate the 5th generation fighter.
Sources said that investigation of the crash by the US Navy's 7th Fleet was confirmed on Friday, and there was no denial that the leaked social media video was the real deal, reported 9 News.
Commander Hayley Sim, public affairs officer for the 7th Fleet, said the footage seen in media had been verified.
One photo showed the plane when it was seen floating on the sea, with an open cockpit and no ejection seat. The video sequence had the fighter's approach, but it stops when it hits the flight deck.
Damage to the ship was not major, according to the navy. Since the accident, the airwing onboard has been up and running normal operations.
Lieutenant Nicholas Lingo, a 7th Fleet spokesperson, said the efforts to get the wreckage has been started, cited CNN.
Claims by analysts say that getting back the US F-35 Stealth Fighter will be complicated because China will be watching since it claims the South China Sea as its own.
Worries over the loss of the F-35C, which has top-secret technology that the Americans believe the Chinese want to procure.
But, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it knows the US Navy has once again bungled, and the stealth fighter is not a concern to them.
China Not Interested in F-35 Fighter Retrieval
Zhao Lijian, Foreign Ministry spokesperson, gives a stinging reply to the US, claiming China will not try to acquire the downed plane.
They stated that the provocativeness of the US in the Indo-Pacific is not helping. They should strive for regional peace and stability, noted the SCMP.
Show of force is not working and proceed to elaborate on the accidents of the US in the South China Sea. The US has not been very careful to avoid the South China Sea mishaps. One of their subs, a Seawolf-class attack sub, struck a seamount that was kept from the press as a reference to the collision mentioned.
Zhao states that the accident on the carrier and its plane, which dropped in the South China Sea, is not unexpected. Stressing the US can have their plane despite accusations about an attempt to get it.
Chinese sources say the depths where the plane sank in the South China Sea, which can be as deep as 16,400 feet, will not make it easy to get it back. Success is not guaranteed due to the deep depths that make retrieval very difficult.
Retired PLA Air Force equipment expert Fu Qianshao remarked that the unit could be swept away and damaged.
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