Salute!
Thank you, T-28B
+++++++++++++++++++++++++=
Hard to get details on the mishap, but here's one link that seems reasonable.
https://sputniknews.com/military/201...h-japan-facts/
Reuters seems to have best coverage and I quote from a Japanese briefing :
The normally stealthy Lockheed Martin jet is fitted with a transponder that pings its position and can be configured to light up on radar scopes during training flights, the air force official said. Radar operators tracking the jet received a training abort message from the lost aircraft before it disappeared about 135 km (84 miles) east of the base. There was no communication from the pilot indicating a problem with the aircraft.
The plane was not on a low-level practice run, suggesting the veteran pilot with 3,200 hours of flying time but only 60 hours in the F-35, should have had time to react to an emergency, the air force official said.
That last statement from the ASDF official is the mystery, so the pilot knew something was wrong, then things got worse.
The reason I take particularly keen interest in this, is that I was a USAF Major and highly experienced single seat troop with over 3300 hours when I was assigned as a cadre member for the first F-16 squadron in the world. You have to start someplace with the new planes and pilots and maintenance troops and......, So 60 hours would be about right for the more challenging training missions if the flight lead was very qualified. And remember that we were helping other pilots learn to fly the plane when we only had about 20 or 30 hours.
There must be keen interest in recovering much of the plane's avionics, The airframe design for a low RCS is one thing, and even it has some secrets not readily apparent. But the avionics and codes on some of the boxes are even more vital to the air frorces operating the planes.
Gums sends...