Jet with cutting-edge technology sank in the sea

After crashing on an aircraft carrier and plunging overboard, the US navy is racing to recover an F-35C fighter plane from the bottom of the South China Sea, bringing with it highly classified technology that would be a coup if China recovered it first.

The F-35C crashed into the deck of the USS Carl Vinson on Monday during routine operations, injuring six sailors and the pilot, who bailed from the fighter before it plunged into the sea, according to the navy.

The most advanced US fighter, a stealth plane worth more than $100 million, is loaded with highly classified equipment and, if discovered, would be a huge intelligence boost for China, which claims practically all of the South China Sea as its own.

$100 million Jet

The $100 million warplane impacted the flight deck of the 100,000-ton aircraft carrier and then fell into the sea as its pilot ejected, Navy officials said. The pilot and six sailors aboard the Vinson were injured.
An F-35C prepares to launch off the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson while a second prepares to launch off the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln on Jan. 22, 2022, in the Philippine Sea.
While damage to the Vinson was only superficial, and it and the carrier’s air wing have resumed normal operations, the Navy faces the daunting task of attempting to pull the F-35 off the ocean floor in some of the most contested waters on the planet.

Photo Credit: Rodrigo.Argenton