According to the US aviation professional website "The Aviationist", a new video appeared on the social platform on the 6th, which is said to be the picture of the US F-35C fighter falling into the South China Sea when it landed on the aircraft carrier. Although the U.S. military has not yet confirmed its authenticity, the report believes that the video is completely consistent with the details of the F-35C crash known to the outside world so far.
The warplanes descended at an unusually rapid speed as they tried to land on the carrier deck, and the landing signal officer screamed in horror and signaled the pilots by radio to immediately abort the landing and resume flight. But it was too late, at which point the rear half of the fighter slammed into the deck, the main landing gear was destroyed, and then the fighter slid sideways and was engulfed in flames.
Another camera showed the pilots parachuting after the fighter caught fire. Immediately after, the fighter plane dragged smoke and flames into the sea, some burning debris flew to other planes parked on the deck, and the carrier rescuers urgently extinguished the fire.
F-35C Sea "Bath" Photo
Previously, social platforms also circulated a photo of a suspected F-35C "bathing" in the sea, as well as a video suspected of being F-35C before falling into the sea, and triggered a hot discussion on the Internet, for which the US Navy confirmed its authenticity.
F-35C pre-crash screen
The U.S. military is arranging for the recovery of the fighter. However, some experts believe that salvaging fighters is not an easy task, but a "difficult task". Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the U.S. Pacific Command's Hawaii Joint Intelligence Center, predicted that it would take 10 to 15 days for the U.S. salvage vessel to arrive at the crash site and about 120 days for the recovery operation. "Depends on the depth of the F-35C's crash."
F-35C fighter (infographic)
At the Foreign Ministry's regular press conference on January 27, a reporter asked about the report that an F-35 fighter jet fell during the US naval exercise, and some analysts said that the Chinese side would recover the fighter before the US side. What is the Spokesperson's comment on this? Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded: I have noted relevant reports, and I have also noticed that this is not the first time that the United States has had an accident in the South China Sea. Some time ago, a submarine hit the mountain, and they have not yet made it clear, but this time their aircraft carrier-based aircraft has had another accident and fell into the South China Sea. Zhao Li insisted that we have no interest in their planes, and we advise the countries concerned to do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability, rather than showing off force in the region at every turn. Source: Overseas Network