In an unusual case, the US Army went public to search for a plane that disappeared after the pilot was ejected from the plane and satellite tracking was disabled. Authorities are wondering how a fighter jet worth $80 million could have gone missing without a trace.
The importance of finding the ship reached such a level that Joint Base Charleston (JBC) launched a social media appeal for information about the F-35 that disappeared while flying over South Carolina on Sunday.
“Based on last known position,” the search is focused near two large lakes north of Charleston, suggesting it may have crashed.
According to the company, the F-35 Lightning II is a highly sought-after aircraft, especially in Ukraine, as its special shape and advanced technological features prevent radar detection.
“We are still gathering information. The investigation is ongoing,” a Joint Base Charleston spokesperson said.
The pilot parachuted into a north Charleston neighborhood for unknown reasons and left the plane flying on autopilot. However, the JBC stated that it was not possible to follow the ship because the device that sends out location signals was not working.
The US is receiving criticism for turning to citizens in search of the F-35
Although it may be an unusual occurrence, it is not the first time that the US Army has lost an aircraft of such importance. In 1989, the pilot of a Soviet MiG-23 crashed over Poland and the plane continued to fly on autopilot until it crashed in Belgium, more than 900 kilometers away.
Therefore, Internet users filled the networks with all sorts of theories about what could have happened to the device, and even on the government side, some officials questioned whether the authorities had turned to public opinion for clues about an aircraft of such size to find meaning. For the armed forces, which has caused a wave of speculation between false rewards and ridicule over the impossibility of finding any of their aircraft.
