South China Sea: pulling crashed US Navy fighter jet out of water will be tough job, Chinese experts say
- Extent of damage to the F-35C jet, the depth at which it is found and underwater conditions could all complicate recovery
- China says it is not interested in the crashed aircraft, after reports suggest it will race to access the advanced stealth technology
Damage to the carrier’s landing deck was “superficial”, and routine flight operations had resumed, a spokesman for the Navy’s Seventh Fleet said. He did not reveal where the crash had occurred or recovery plan details.
On Friday, the US Navy confirmed that a photo and video circulating on social media did show an F-35C crash-landing on the USS Carl Vinson and floating in the South China Sea after falling off the carrier.
The F-35C is the most advanced stealth fighter jet in the world, and the accident sparked media speculation that China would race to recover it for the cutting-edge technology.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser for the International Security Programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told Navy Times that “this is our most sophisticated aircraft”, noting that “it has all kinds of electronics on board that our adversaries would love to get a hold of”.