RAF and Marines F-35B Lightning II Fighter | Photo: Royal Navy
The United Kingdom has asked the United States to help remove an F-35B fighter jet that crashed in the Mediterranean last Wednesday (17th).
The hunter departed from the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth And crashed shortly after takeoff. The pilot was safely evacuated and rescued by Royal British Navy rescue teams. The British Ministry of Defense said an investigation had already been launched into the cause.
Russia, which has bases near the crash site, fears the return of a fifth-generation British aircraft.
The withdrawal of the fighter jet, which is of great economic and national security value, will require specialized US equipment to locate the aircraft at sea. This is the TPL-25 locator, currently based in Spain.
Another part of the mission is to bring the warplane to the surface, for which unmanned submarines, a US Navy CURV-21 and inflatable bags will be used for the task.
Although this is the first fall of the English F-35B, it is not the first to fall into the sea. In April 2019, an F-35A Japanese Defense Forces (JASDF) crashed, killing the pilot.
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