The F-35B Lightning II was part of a training squadron and took off from a US Marine Corps air base near the town of Beaufort. The pilot was not injured and was transported to a local hospital.
It is not yet clear what happened, but military sources said that the plane was involved in an “accident.” They said their search is focused on two lakes north of Charleston. Based on the plane’s last known location, a search is underway in Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion in cooperation with federal aviation authorities.
We work with @MCASBeaufortSC To locate the F-35 that was involved in a mishap this afternoon. The pilot ejected safely. If you have any information that may assist our recovery teams in locating the F-35, please contact the Defense Base Operations Center at 843-963-3600.
– Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 17, 2023
Officials at the US military base in Charleston said on Twitter previously that emergency response teams were searching for the plane. The plane flew close to another plane, but there are no indications that it caused the accident. Authorities in X ask the public to cooperate with military and civilian authorities. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Operations Center.
Lockheed Martin manufactures the F-35, and the price of each plane is estimated at $80 million. It is one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, and our country has also ordered 34 aircraft to replace the F-16. It is still unclear how the plane disappeared. According to a Charleston base spokesman, the plane’s transceiver was not working for an unknown reason.
Moreover, one of the main advantages of the device in this case is its main drawback: its hidden characteristics. An air base spokesman said: “The shape of the plane and the material it is made of make it difficult for radar to detect compared to a regular plane.”
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