Japan can't find one of their new F-35 stealth fighters

[RPM 26323]

Hong Kong (CNN) A Japanese F-35 stealth fighter, one of the world's most-advanced warplanes, has gone missing over the Pacific Ocean, Japanese defense officials said.

Officials said the single-engine jet from Japan's Air Self-Defense Force was on a training flight with three other F-35s when contact was lost Tuesday evening, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The planes, based at Misawa Air Base on the northern tip of the main Japanese island of Honshu, were about 135 kilometers (84 miles) off the east coast of Aomori prefecture when contact was lost, officials said.

The pilot of the single-seat fighter is missing, and a search is underway, according to Japan's Defense Ministry. 

No problems with the aircraft were reported before it went missing, NHK reported.

Japan's first squadron of the $100 million fighter jets went operational just 11 days ago, with about a dozen of the jets forming the 302nd Squadron at the Misawa base.

At present, some of the Japanese F-35 are assembled in the United States and others at a plant in Nagoya, Japan. It has not been revealed where the plane that went missing Tuesday was built.

Edited April 9, 2019 by RPM

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

Kamikaze pilots never learned how to land.  Is this really a surprise?

[Dennis Taylor 18835]

Stealth technology must be working 

[HornsOverIthaca 2335]

Maybe they painted it with camofaluge.

[Pato del Muerto 52529]

What are the odds that the plane and it’s pilot went missing concurrently?

article makes it seem almost coincidental. 

Also, are there advantages to a single engine, other than maybe ease of vectoring thrust? One engine fails and you fall out of the sky. 

[RPM 26323]

1 minute ago, Pato del Muerto said:

What are the odds that the plane and it’s pilot went missing concurrently?

article makes it seem almost coincidental. 

I took it the pilot and plane disappeared together. The plane didn't just fly itself on a mission... or maybe it did.

[Llano Estacado 1257]

I thought “F35 shitbird” was the preferred nomenclature?

[Brisketexan 105159]

How do they know it’s lost? It’s invisible, maybe they just can’t see it.

[phdhorn 6224]

I hope the windshields were more horizontal than vertical.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

Kinda odd the other 3 don’t appear to have any idea what happened.  

[Knoxtnhorn 6061]

Considering the ramifications, isn't this something that Japan and the US would kind of want to keep on the down low for a bit?  Aren't we kind of inviting China to go treasure hunting?

[mdmost 43004]

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

Considering the ramifications, isn't this something that Japan and the US would kind of want to keep on the down low for a bit?  Aren't we kind of inviting China to go treasure hunting?

They probably already have the complete plans

[Llano Estacado 1257]

Considering the ramifications, isn't this something that Japan and the US would kind of want to keep on the down low for a bit?  Aren't we kind of inviting China to go treasure hunting?

But how will we find it?

[Dennis Taylor 18835]

Maybe he took it to get washed 

[RollLeft 5045]

[SpiralOut 1818]

Turn on stealth tech.

Leave formation.

Fly to China and the duffel bags full of money.

Profit.

I expect a much cheaper, probably better working knockoff from the Chinese by 2022. 

[Pato del Muerto 52529]

It’s a trap to see if we put a gps tracker in them...just in case. We will keep our powder dry, and it will turn up. 

[RPM 26323]

19 minutes ago, SpiralOut said:

Turn on stealth tech.

Leave formation.

Fly to China and the duffel bags full of money.

Profit.

I expect a much cheaper, probably better working knockoff from the Chinese by 2022. 

This is not an unreasonable assumption. Why are we selling top of the line technology to foreign countries to begin with? Ally or not, that's a bad idea. But then we must think of the defense industry shareholders and their profits. The US can only buy so many airplanes and that really limits ROI.

[Wally Fairway 5565]

must have the same flight plan as MH370

[Bullneck 19180]

1 hour ago, Llano Estacado said:

But how will we find it?

What's the deal with underwear on the outside of your pants/tights?

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

1 hour ago, phdhorn said:

I hope the windshields were more horizontal than vertical.

Is it true they fly sideways?

[phdhorn 6224]

2 minutes ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Is it true they fly sideways?

I think at 45° angles...

[Steel Shank 9428]

Maybe the pilot went to go plan a Cinco de Mayo party.

[Your Mom 4806]

It’s in my driveway. Sorry. Was that wrong?

[Pato del Muerto 52529]

37 minutes ago, Bullneck said:

What's the deal with underwear on the outside of your pants/tights?

You can’t understand Atlantean fashion

[RPM 26323]

6 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

It’s in my driveway. Sorry. Was that wrong?

Dude, where's my F-35?

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Sounds like Thomas Dolby has another song to write.

[ROFL BOX 6649]

1 hour ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Sounds like Thomas Dolby has another song to write.

So what you're saying is that it's actually there but we can't actually see it because we're blinded due to all of the science?

Edited April 10, 2019 by ROFL BOX

[gsoda3 3263]

Friggin MCAS

[Fuck Tim Beck 3834]

Godzirra. 

[Newdoc 3448]

[Lhorn 4916]

Has no one said “sum ting Wong “ yet?

Wi Tu Lo?

Ho Lee Fuk?

Edited April 10, 2019 by Lhorn

[Blotto 23559]

3 hours ago, Bullneck said:

What's the deal with underwear on the outside of your pants/tights?

Prude

[RPM 26323]

44 minutes ago, Fuck Tim Beck said:

Godzirra. 

[mulletpelini 5212]

it's going to get out of control.

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3868]

6 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Sounds like Thomas Dolby has another song to write.

 

5 hours ago, ROFL BOX said:

So what you're saying is that it's actually there but we can't actually see it because we're blinded due to all of the science?

“One of our submarines is missing tonight
Seems she ran aground on manoeuvres
One of our submarines” T. Dolby 

Golden Age of Wireless was very good album overall, and is considered the genesis of steam punk, but most only know the MTV video hit. 

Edited April 10, 2019 by ShaggyBevo RIP

[Homercles 10206]

Just read they found the wreckage.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/world/asia/missing-f35-japan-stealth-fighter.html

 

And just because I can

 

[Parliament 14261]

10 hours ago, RPM said:

This is not an unreasonable assumption. Why are we selling top of the line technology to foreign countries to begin with? Ally or not, that's a bad idea. But then we must think of the defense industry shareholders and their profits. The US can only buy so many airplanes and that really limits ROI.

They call it the "JOINT Strike Fighter" for a reason.  Our allies need stealth fighters. You can question how "allied" some of our allies are, but not Japan.  They're good people, and our 1st line of defense against China.

FWIW, by law, we can't export the more capable F22.  Japan REALLY wants it because of its better range.

[Grippe 313]

I did FMS for a few years - rarely do we sell our best tech even to our allies.  Normally a platform like the F35 will have dumbed down tech/armor/armaments on it in order to preserve any advantage US Forces might need later.

[SurlyBDR 22808]