F-35B stealth fighter jet. Leaked video footage shows a British F-35B stealth fighter jet helplessly flying and crashing into the Mediterranean Sea. Foto/gov.uk
Leaked video footage of the incident, which appears to be genuine, adds credibility to the theory that something, such as a plastic rain cover, may have been sucked into the plane’s engine, causing it to fail.
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The footage also raises questions about whether the expensive warplane may have hit the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth as it plunged into the Mediterranean Sea on November 17, 2021.
The F-35B fighter jet was seen moving too slowly in a short takeoff path before falling out of sight as the pilot ejected to safety.
“Given how close the plane was to the bow, and the speed at which it was launched, the chances of hitting the bow (below the waterline) would be quite high,” Tom Sharpe, a former British Royal Navy officer, was quoted as saying. Sky News, Tuesday (30/11/2021).
“Battleship armor isn’t that thick, so, even though there’s a difference in weight between the two, I’d like the compartment near the bow to be inspected immediately…I then want the hull to dive at the first opportunity, just to be sure.”
A Royal Navy source said he didn’t think the F-35 had damaged the carrier, but that the carrier was thoroughly inspected.
The source noted that—though not yet known—even if the plane did hit the carrier, it would have minimal impact on the 65,000-ton ship. “Like a fly hitting the windshield,” he said.
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