Crashed Japanese F-35 wreckage found in Pacific, pilot still missing

Reuters ^ | April 9, 2019 / 8:15 PM | Tim Kelly

[Freeport]

TOKYO (Reuters) - Search and rescue teams found wreckage from a crashed Japanese F-35 stealth fighter in the Pacific Ocean close to northern Japan, and are scouring the waters for the missing pilot, authorities said on Wednesday.

The aircraft, less than a year old, was the first F-35 assembled in Japan and was aloft for only 28 minutes on Tuesday before contact was lost, a defense official said. The plane had logged a total of 280 hours in the air, he added.

It was only the second F-35 to crash since the aircraft’s first flight in 2006 and could reignite concern about the F-35 having only one engine.

Manufacturer Lockheed Martin is competing for orders in Finland and Switzerland against the twin-engined Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing F/A-18E/F jet.

The accident could influence Switzerland’s decision, but Finland could still pick the F-35 as it is close to Russia, said Justin Bronk, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

“I would be surprised if there was a common catastrophic fault hidden away in the F-35A,” he added. “It’s pretty unlikely given the large number of flight hours already completed.”

[alternatives?]

The aircraft, less than a year old, was the first F-35 assembled in Japan...

I am always reminded of metal toys in my youth that had bent over tabs at the bottom.

[null and void]

And when you unbent the taps and peered inside you saw misprinted beer can labels...

[PLMerite]

Not this CLAP again!