Aircraft was put on autopilot before the ejection which, along with the ejection location seems to indicate it was premeditated.
Base also confirms the transponder wasn’t functioning - which could mean it was untraceable, and range will only have been limited by the amount of usable fuel remaining in the tanks…..
See both article and comments below it.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...-pilot-ejected
…Based on FAA data, the search for the aircraft is underway in the Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion areas, Senior Master Sergeant Heather Stanton from Joint Base Charleston
told the press. But here's the kicker: the DoD is saying the F-35B was put on autopilot prior to the ejection….
"The jet’s transponder, which usually helps locate the aircraft, was not working “for some reason that we haven’t yet determined,” said Jeremy Huggins, a spokesman at Joint Base Charleston. “So that’s why we put out the public request for help.”