The United States Army is searching for an F-35 fighter jet that disappeared after the pilot ejected. The impossibility of tracking it raises questions and astonishment in a country that wonders how it was possible to lose an aircraft valued at US$80 million (around R$359 million, at current prices).
Joint Base Charleston made a statement on social media to obtain information about the missing fighter jet last Sunday (17) while flying over South Carolina (east).
“Based on the last known position,” the search focuses on the vicinity of two large lakes north of Charleston (east), which suggests it could have fallen.
The F-35 Lightning II is a highly coveted aircraft, especially in Ukraine, due to its shape and characteristics that prevent it from being detected by radars.
“We are still gathering information. The investigation is ongoing,” a spokeswoman for Joint Base Charleston told AFP.
The pilot parachuted for unknown reasons into a North Charleston neighborhood, leaving the plane flying on autopilot.
JBC spokesman Jeremy Huggins told the Washington Post that the fighter’s transponder (a device that emits signals) was not working, which made tracking difficult.
This is not the first time a fighter jet has disappeared.
In 1989, the pilot of a Soviet MiG-23 was ejected in Poland and the plane continued flying on autopilot until it crashed in Belgium, more than 900 kilometers away.
The disappearance of the plane that cost at least US$80 million generated repercussions on the internet.
“How the hell do you lose an F-35? How is it possible that there is no reconnaissance device and they are asking public opinion to find a plane and hand it over?” asked Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace.
Some internet users published manipulated photographs with fake search notices hanging in trees: “F-35 missing. US$500 reward”, jokes one of them.
Others mocked the situation, mentioning the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, who has been asking for this type of aircraft for months for the war waged against Moscow since Russian troops invaded his country.
© Agence France-Presse
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