Parts of crashed Japan F-35A fighter likely found at sea

Bloomberg

Possible debris from a Japanese F-35A stealth fighter that crashed during an exercise over the Pacific Ocean has been found at sea in what would be the costly jet’s second crash in less than a year.
The plane and its pilot, a man in his 40s, went missing about 135 kilometres off the Japanese coast after departing Misawa Air Base on the
northeastern corner of Honshu Island, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force said in a statement. A part of what’s believed to
the the plane’s tail was spotted floating near where it disappeared, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters.
“We will do everything in our power to find the missing pilot,” Iwaya said.
The Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 is considered the most expensive US weapons system. More than 320 of the fighters operate from 15 American bases worldwide, though the Pentagon and Lockheed continue to wrestle with resolving more than 900 deficiencies — including flaws in the plane’s complex software.
The plane was on an exercise with three other aircraft when radar contact was lost about half an hour into the flight, Japanese military officials said.
A cause of the crash has not been determined.
“We are aware of the incident being reported involving a Japanese F-35A and we’re standing by to support the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force as needed,” Lockheed said in an e-mailed statement.
A US Defense Department spokesman said the Pentagon was aware of the reports but declined to comment. US Forces Japan said it was supporting Japanese-led search and rescue efforts being conducted on sea and in the air.