Missing: US military urges people to locate F-35 fighter jet, after its pilot ejected!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In an unusual move, the United States military, on Sunday, urged the people’s help to locate a fighter jet, F-35, that went missing after a mid-flight emergency while its pilot safely ejected.
The aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, cost around USD 80 million each, the media reported on Monday.
The fighter jet of the US Marine Corps fighter went missing in South Carolina after its pilot safely ejected the aircraft on Sunday. The US military officials have appealed to the public to help locate the missing plane.
Military officials said the pilot ejected from the F-35 Lightning II jet over North Charleston on Sunday afternoon after a “mishap.” Base authorities said they were searching, in coordination with federal aviation regulators, around two lakes north of the city of Charleston.
The leading Joint Base Charleston has asked local residents for help.
“If you have any information that may help our recovery teams locate the F-35, please call the Base Defense Operations Center,” a post from the base read on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Reacting to the news, local US Congresswoman Nancy Mace wrote on X, “Now that I got that out of the way. How in the hell do you lose an F-35? How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?”
