By Olayemi Esan
A joint British and American operation is underway to find an F-35B warplane with highly advanced secret technology in waters two kilometres deep in the Mediterranean after it crashed while taking off from an aircraft carrier.
The entry point of the fast-jet into the ocean was not far from the vessel, HMS Queen Elizabeth.
However, the aircraft’s wings would have made it glide underwater for a distance before sinking to the bottom, say defence officials, making locating it a complex process.
The immediate focus would be to recover the most sensitive equipment from the aircraft, costing around £100 million each.
The weapon and computing system onboard would be of great value to adversary powers, and the sea lanes where the crash happened are frequently used by Russian submarines and surface vessels.
Any attempts by a non-allied state to get to the wreckage will be tracked and “appropriate action taken”, say military sources while stressing that a stand-off would be an unlikely scenario.
The pilot, who ejected from the jet and was picked up by a helicopter, has not suffered any serious injuries. An investigation has started into the accident.
The Ministry of Defence say there are no immediate plans to suspend the F-35B fleet from flying for the time being.
An American unit based in Spain specialising in undersea salvage will be part of the recovery mission alongside UK counterparts.
There are ten American F-35Bs on board HMS Queen Elizabeth in addition to eight British planes.
One reason for the US involvement in the recovery process is that the technology on board the F-35B is American.
The US Navy’s department of Supervisor of Salvage and Diving is expected to lead the American effort and CURV-21, a 6,400-pound Cable-controlled Undersea Recovery Vehicle is expected to be used in the operation.
The CURV-21, was successfully used to lift a MH-60s Seahawk helicopter from the bottom of the off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, two years ago. An earlier version, CURV-1, was used to raise Mk 28 hydrogen bomb after a B-52 bomber collided with an air tanker over the Mediterranean in 1966.
