Japanese F-35A Fighter Missing over Pacific Ocean, Remaining Fleet Grounded

摘要

The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) said on Tuesday it lost contact with an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter about 85 miles off the coast of northern Japan. There are no indications of what happened to the fighter jet. Launched from Misawa Air Base in the northern part of Japan’s main island, participating in an anti-fighter combat training mission with three other F-35As, the aircraft’s last reported location was over the Pacific Ocean about 85 miles east of Misawa City. The aircraft disappeared from radar about 25 minutes after take-off and no distress signal was received, according to Japanese news service Jiji Press. Misawa Air Base is home to the JASDF’s 302 Squadron, the first Japanese unit to operate the fifth-generation stealth fighter. The nation’s 12 remaining F-35s have been grounded, according to Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iyawa. Search and rescue vessels from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Coast Guard, as well as JASDF aircraft, have been deployed to the location where the F-35 was last detected. The aircraft’s single pilot is still missing. Meanwhile, Air Force Maj. Gen. Eric T. Fick, currently deputy director of the Joint Strike Fighter Program, was nominated for a third star and to serve as the program office's director. If confirmed by the Senate, Fick would replace Vice Adm. Mat Winter in that post.