There's a mystery that has the American people talking, and it's not at all difficult to see why.
How does an F-35 go missing in mid-flight in South Carolina? The F-35 is one of the most advanced and stealthy aircraft in the world. This particular one was a F-35B Lightning II jet. But as NBC observed, perhaps it was just a little too stealthy in this odd situation.
Only under the Biden Administration could the US Military lose an $80 million F-35 jet in the air.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 18, 2023
pic.twitter.com/8jbBYL2qBP
According to Joint Base Charleston, the jet had an undefined "mishap" that caused the pilot to eject. The pilot landed safely and was recovered, and he's in stable condition at a hospital. But the jet, which was on auto-pilot, has not as yet been found. The transponder -- the way you might normally locate the jet -- also wasn't working for some unexplained reason, according to reports.
Joint Base Charleston has now appealed to the public for help, and they're looking in the Lake Moultrie area near Charleston.
We’re working with @MCASBeaufortSC to locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap this afternoon. The pilot ejected safely. If you have any information that may help our recovery teams locate the F-35, please call the Base Defense Operations Center at 843-963-3600.
— Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 17, 2023
Based on the jet’s last-known position and in coordination with the FAA, we are focusing our attention north of JB Charleston, around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion.
— Joint Base Charleston (@TeamCharleston) September 17, 2023
However, because it was on auto-pilot, they said it could still be airborne. But then that raises the question of why the pilot had to eject. What was the "mishap" that made him bail?
Also, it was flying with another jet at the time. So, how does it go missing in that case? The other jet returned safely to the base.
According to Jeremy Huggins, the spokesperson for Joint Base Charleston, "The aircraft is stealth, so it has different coatings and different designs that make it more difficult than a normal aircraft to detect."
That was not making folks like Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) happy.
"How in the hell do you lose an F-35?" she exclaimed. "How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?" she said.
Some also wondered if the plane had wandered off to Ukraine.
But the gold star has to go to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who hit pertinent news stories in his criticism of this incident.
I wonder if the pilot was wearing a hoodie. https://t.co/ockaFlmDac
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) September 18, 2023
That was a reference to the Democrats changing the dress code rules of the Senate to accommodate Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who is always sporting gym shorts and hoodies.
Hey @elonmusk, why did this get the “offensive content” trigger warning? Does the lost F-35 find it offensive to be referred to in the same sentence as Hunter Biden? pic.twitter.com/F1plRCtmUU
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) September 18, 2023
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