The US Navy recovered the wreckage of a crashed fighter jet from the bottom of the South China Sea yesterday. The fighter jet crashed into the edge of a US aircraft carrier in January as it attempted to land, whereupon it sank into the ocean.
It concerns an F35 worth about 90 million euros.
The US wanted to salvage the advanced device as soon as possible because there is a lot of classified information on board. The US feared that China would remove the wreckage from the water sooner and thus get its hands on the classified information. Other countries could also look for the wreck.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US did not have to worry because China was “not interested” in the device.
Three kilometers deep
The F35 is now under investigation and may be returned to the US. It took the Navy 37 days to retrieve the wreckage from the bottom. The aircraft was located three kilometers deep in the ocean and was recovered using a remote-operated crane.
The pilot and six sailors on the aircraft carrier were injured in the crash.
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