Japanese military discovers possible debris of fighter jet after F-35 goes missing – reports
Japan’s military has reportedly found what appears to be debris from the F-35A fighter jet that disappeared from radar with one pilot on board during a training mission over the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday evening.
The Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) says it has found what could be debris from the F-35A plane that lost radar contact with ground control at Misawa Air Base during a routine training mission off the coast of Aomori Prefecture on Tuesday, broadcaster NHK reports. Coast Guard and Self-Defense Forces have been searching for the #plane since it #vanished. The fighter jet was flying with three others of the same make about 135km off the coast.
First operational F-35A is presented to Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Misawa Air Base, February 24, 2018 © US Air Force / Sgt. Benjamin W. Stratton
Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya grounded the Air Self-Defense Force’s entire fleet of F-35As as a precaution after the aircraft went missing at about 7:30pm local time, half an hour after taking off. At the same time the fighter disappeared from radar screens, ground control also lost all radio contact with the plane.
The craft that vanished was reportedly the first F-35A to be built at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries facility in Nagoya. In December, #Japan announced its plans to place an order for 105 more F-35s from the US on top of the 42 it had already bought – a deal which would make Japan the largest international buyer of the troubled plane.
Original: https://www.rt.com/news/456063-japan-f35-debris-found/
In the article, you mentioned the plane is troubled. Is it just in reference to this specific event, or are there other instances of failure with this aircraft?
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