The Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya informed on April 23 that a US-chartered ship will join this month a deep-sea search for an F-35A fighter jet that recently crashed in the Pacific. The ‘Van Gogh’ will take part in the search effort by the Maritime Self-Defense Force and US forces off Aomori Prefecture.
The jet crashed on April 9 during an Air Self-Defense Force night exercise after having taken off from Misawa Air Base in Aomori, sources report. The pilot of the stealth jet is also missing.
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Now, Japan and the US are worried about the consequences of the aircraft being discovered by other countries. They specifically believe that such a development could be a major military intelligence breach.
In addition, science minister Masahiko Shibayama told that the research vessel Kaimei, which the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology owns, will also join in the operation, after a request from the Defense Ministry.
The ship has a remotely operated vehicle, able to observe up to a depth of about 3,000 meters.
