Japan Drops the Search for the Missing F‑35‑A
On Tuesday, June 4, Japan decided to halt its frantic hunt for an F‑35‑A stealth fighter that vanished over the sea back in April. The jet, a high‑tech marvel that cost more than 10 billion yen each, crashed and left its pilot in a desperate struggle to survive.
Key Points from Minister Iwaya
- Search operation stopped, but the investigation into what caused the crash is still underway.
- F‑35‑A missions in northern Japan haven’t been resumed yet.
- Underwater cameras will keep winking at a broader area “to protect classified military information.”
Why the pause? The U.S. and Japan are on high alert to keep sensitive parts of the jet from falling into the hands of Russia or China. In fact, Minister Iwaya openly admitted that the aircraft carried “a significant amount of secrets.”
What’s Left Over?
- The jet’s tail was salvaged, but the pilot’s body and the flight data recorder are still missing.
- Only a fraction of debris have been scooped up from the wreckage.
The incident marked the first reported crash of an F‑35‑A. The plane had taken off from Misawa Air Base with three other aircraft and lost contact about 30 minutes later. It was out near Misawa in northeastern Japan, roughly 135 km east of the base.
Why It Matters
Japan is replacing its aging F‑4 fighters with these swanky F‑35-As as part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to upgrade the navy and keep pace with China’s rapidly modernising forces.
