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U.S. Navy recovers warplane that fell into South China Sea
Seven military personnel were hurt in the January accident on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which had been conducting training in the area.
The United States has recovered an F-35C warplane that fell into the South China Sea in a landing mishap in January, the U.S. Navy said on Thursday.
The wreckage was recovered from a depth of about 12,400 feet using a remotely operated vehicle to attach rigging to the aircraft, which was then hoisted up by a diving support ship, the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said in an email.
It will be delivered to a nearby military installation to aid in the ongoing investigation of the incident, the statement said.
“The recovery effort shows the U.S. Navy commitment to its assets, and a free and open Indo-Pacific,” it said.
Seven U.S. military personnel were hurt in the January accident on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, which had been conducting training in the strategic South China Sea, much of which is claimed by China.
The Navy had previously brushed off media reports suggesting there were fears the aircraft could fall into the hands of China, which said at the time that it had no interest in recovering the warplane.
A major operation was launched to recover the $100m (£74m) F-35C jet – the newest, most advanced in the US force.
The aircraft ended up in at the bottom of the South China Sea following a landing problem on the USS Carl Vinson.
The region has been a source of rising US-China tensions in recent years.
The F-35C Lightning II was retrieved on Wednesday from a depth of 12,400 feet (3,780 metres) using a remotely operated vehicle that fastened rigging and lift lines to the aircraft. A hook was lowered from a diving support ship’s crane to the sea floor, which was attached to the rigging. The jet was then lifted to the surface and hoisted aboard the vessel.
Seven sailors were injured in the crash earlier this year, when the F-35C struck the deck of aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in a crash landing made during a military exercise.
The South China Sea, home to vital shipping lanes, has been a geopolitical flashpoint for years, with several countries claiming ownership of its small islands and reefs and with it, access to its resources.
China has taken increasingly forceful steps to assert its claim of the territory, refusing to recognise a 2016 international tribunal ruling saying there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters.
