Seoul, South Korea (Trends Wide) — Footage of a US Navy F-35 warplane crashing into the South China Sea was released earlier this week.
The F-35C, a single-engine stealth fighter and the newest jet in the US Navy fleet, crashed into the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during routine operations on Monday, the Navy said.
The $100 million fighter jet impacted the flight deck of the 100,000-ton aircraft carrier and then fell into the water as its pilot was ejected, Navy officials said. The pilot and six sailors aboard the Vinson were injured.
A spokesman for the US Navy’s 7th Fleet said Friday that an investigation into the incident is continuing and confirmed that images that have appeared on social media since the crash are genuine.
“The ship has assessed that the video and photo covered by the media today were taken aboard the USS Carl Vinson … during the accident,” said Hayley Sims, public affairs officer for the 7th Fleet.
A still photograph shows the stealth fighter floating on the surface of the South China Sea, with its cockpit open and its ejection seat missing.
The F-35 crash
A video shows the F-35 on its landing approach to the carrier, but cuts before the plane hits the flight deck.
The Navy said earlier this week that the damage to the Vinson was only skin deep, and that both it and the carrier’s air wing have resumed normal operations.
An effort to recover the fighter jet from the bottom of the South China Sea had begun, said Lt. Nicholas Lingo, another 7th Fleet spokesman.
Analysts said lifting the plane would likely be a complex operation and would be overseen by China, which claims almost all of the 21 million square kilometer South China Sea as its territory.
The F-35C contains some of the Navy’s most advanced technology, and analysts said Washington would want to keep it out of Beijing’s hands.
However, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it was aware that a US Navy stealth fighter had crashed in the South China Sea, but that it “had no interest in its plane.”
“We advise [a EE.UU.] that contributes more to regional peace and stability, rather than exerting force at all times in [el Mar Meridional de China]Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
— Trends Wide’s Beijing bureau contributed to this report.
Seoul, South Korea (Trends Wide) — Footage of a US Navy F-35 warplane crashing into the South China Sea was released earlier this week.
The F-35C, a single-engine stealth fighter and the newest jet in the US Navy fleet, crashed into the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during routine operations on Monday, the Navy said.
The $100 million fighter jet impacted the flight deck of the 100,000-ton aircraft carrier and then fell into the water as its pilot was ejected, Navy officials said. The pilot and six sailors aboard the Vinson were injured.
A spokesman for the US Navy’s 7th Fleet said Friday that an investigation into the incident is continuing and confirmed that images that have appeared on social media since the crash are genuine.
“The ship has assessed that the video and photo covered by the media today were taken aboard the USS Carl Vinson … during the accident,” said Hayley Sims, public affairs officer for the 7th Fleet.
A still photograph shows the stealth fighter floating on the surface of the South China Sea, with its cockpit open and its ejection seat missing.
The F-35 crash
A video shows the F-35 on its landing approach to the carrier, but cuts before the plane hits the flight deck.
The Navy said earlier this week that the damage to the Vinson was only skin deep, and that both it and the carrier’s air wing have resumed normal operations.
An effort to recover the fighter jet from the bottom of the South China Sea had begun, said Lt. Nicholas Lingo, another 7th Fleet spokesman.
Analysts said lifting the plane would likely be a complex operation and would be overseen by China, which claims almost all of the 21 million square kilometer South China Sea as its territory.
The F-35C contains some of the Navy’s most advanced technology, and analysts said Washington would want to keep it out of Beijing’s hands.
However, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it was aware that a US Navy stealth fighter had crashed in the South China Sea, but that it “had no interest in its plane.”
“We advise [a EE.UU.] that contributes more to regional peace and stability, rather than exerting force at all times in [el Mar Meridional de China]Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.
— Trends Wide’s Beijing bureau contributed to this report.