I don’t know the syllabus for the F-35, but if its transponder wasn’t on and the tower crew didn’t see it I don’t think it is out of the realm of possibility. Sneaking around is probably part of the syllabus. Would explain why they were looking for it. Doesn’t explain being on autopilot at 1K and having to punch out.
“ Doesn’t explain being on autopilot at 1K and having to punch out.”
That’s the noodle knotter for me, how does a guy with boss level training punch out of expensive flying equipment that’s subsequently capable of covering 60-70 miles on its own? The only explanation I can come up with is it auto-ejecting him from a fault and/or still having some chi-com chip crap in it that they hadn’t extracted in the past… 🧐
The US military is set to spend at least $1.7 trillion on nearly 2,500 F-35 fighter jets that have “costly maintenance issues” — and have a coin flip chance of completing their missions, according to a new government report released Thursday.
Pentagon to spend $1.7T on F-35 fighter jets with ‘costly maintenance issues’: report (nypost.com)