[imagesource: Weibo]

The US Navy is racing to get to their sunken $100 million F35-C fighter jet that landed in international waters before the Chinese manage to reach it.

The F35-C plane crashed into the South China Sea after striking the deck of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during take-off.

The incident, which the US Navy describes as a “mishap”, resulted in seven sailors, including the pilot who managed to safely eject, getting injured.

Images and videos of the plane are doing the rounds on Weibo, China’s main social media service, while the US Navy is reported to be making arrangements to recover the plane this week.

The image above is a supposed screengrab taken from mobile phone footage of the wreckage via Newsweek.

This video has been widely shared by numerous Twitter accounts:

🇺🇲 The moment an F35-C crashed while trying to land on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. The pilot and 6 sailors were injured.

🇨🇳 The US Navy is rushing to retrieve the sunken fighter jet before #China, which could get its hands on its classified tech. pic.twitter.com/VXqbaa9GPP

— Terror Alarm (@terror_alarm) January 28, 2022

The jet is in international waters, despite what China argues, so the Navy’s newest jet crammed with classified equipment is fair game.

Whoever gets there first will get their hands on all the secrets behind this very expensive, leading-edge fighting force:

Image: Getty Images

The scramble is on, per the BBC:

National security experts say Chinese military would be “very keen” to get to the jet but a US salvage vessel looks to be at least 10 days away from the crash site.

That’s too late, says defence consultant Abi Austen, because the black box battery will die before then, making it harder to locate the aircraft.

“It’s vitally important the US gets this back,” she says. “The F-35 is basically like a flying computer. It’s designed to link up other assets – what the Air Force calls ‘linking sensors to shooters’.”

…Asked if there were echoes of the Cold War here, she says: “It’s all about who’s the biggest dog in the park! This is basically The Hunt For Red October meets The Abyss – it’s a brilliant three-act play.”

Apparently, China doesn’t yet utilise some of the technology showcased by the jet.

What technology, you ask?

• a network-enabled mission system that allows real-time sharing of information it collects while in flight
• US Navy’s first “low observable” carrier-based aircraft which enables it to operate undetected in enemy airspace
• larger wings and more robust landing gear making it suitable for “catapult launches” from carriers at sea
• the most powerful fighter engine in the world that can hit speeds of up to 1 200 miles per hour
• the ability to carry two missiles on its wings and four inside

Austen believes that China trying to claim rights over the plane is just them “stress testing” the US.

Luckily for them, the F-35B warplane that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea while operating on the British carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth in November was retrieved successfully before any secrets were leaked.

[source:newsweek&bbc]