The US Navy’s 7th Fleet has performed a rare maneuver to retrieve the sunken F-35C fighter jet from the South China Sea on March 2. The 5th generation fighter plane was recovered from a depth of 12,400 feet, roughly 3.8 km.
The highly advanced F-35C Lightning II had a landing mishap on USS Carl Vinson roughly 40 days ago, on January 24.
The extent of the damage to the plane was not immediately revealed, and the aircraft itself was photographed in a wrapped-up condition.
How was it done?
The 7th Fleet’s Task Force ‘CTF 75,’ specializing in diving and salvage operations, along with NAVSEA’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), embarked on a diving support construction vessel (DSCV) named Picasso to perform the feat.
The Navy described the actual recovery in a statement –
“The aircraft was recovered using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) called CURV-21, which attached specialized rigging and lift lines to the aircraft. The ship’s crane lifting hook was then lowered to the seafloor and connected to the rigging, and then lifted the aircraft to the surface and hoisted it onboard Picasso.
The aircraft will be delivered to a nearby military installation to aid in the ongoing investigation and evaluated for potential transport to the United States.”
Why was this important?
Despite the criticism on costs and technical snags, the F35 Lightning II is America’s most advanced fighter jet.
The fighter plane is touted for its stealth and electronic warfare capabilities, and risking losing it to adversaries such as China was a potential nightmare for the Pentagon.
The exact location of the landing mishap and subsequent recovery efforts were kept a secret for evident reasons, and the recovery details have just been made public.
According to a US Navy website, each F-35 Lightning II costs around 94.4 million dollars to manufacture.