Chinese Rescue Vessels ‘Sent to Site of US F-35 Jet Crash’ in South China Sea

In late January, a US F-35 Lightning II jet crash-landed in the South China Sea – the pilot safely ejected from the aircraft before being evacuated by a military helicopter.

On Wednesday, Chinese salvage vessels sailed towards the location of a sunken F-35 Lightning II jet in the South China Sea, according to the Daily Caller, citing sources.

“The Chinese are surging assets, including salvage vessels, to the general vicinity,” a source said, as quoted by the Daily Caller.

In turn, on 27 January, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian denied that China had an interest in the sunken F-35C aircraft, which crashed-landed into the sea.

The plane collided with the superstructure of an aircraft carrier and demolished several antennas. The pilot was rescued. In addition to the US Navy, the Japanese Coast Guard is involved in the search.

This is the second failed F-35 landing in less than a month. On 4 January 2022, a South Korean Air Force F-35A made an emergency belly landing after its landing gear failed.