Every day, Axel de Tarlé takes stock of the economy. On Wednesday, he comes back to the crash of the US F35 fighter jet in Japan, which remains untraceable.
After the setbacks of the Boeing 737 Max, two of which crashed in less than six months, the US F35 fighter plane crashed in Japan in early April. The US military aeronautics suffered a new blow.
The American fighter, the latest F35 is a gem of American technology. This stealth aircraft is sold at $ 100 million each. But on April 9, an F 35 freshly acquired by the Japanese army crashed at sea, without reason. And it has not been found for 15 days. We just spotted fin debris, but we did not find the carcass.
This accident poses two problems. First, we have no idea why the crash. The pilot was very experienced and he did not even have time to eject from the cockpit. So the investigators are wondering if there was not a problem with the plane. When in doubt, the Japanese army, which commanded more than 100 aircraft, grounded its F35 fleet.
Second problem: the plane can not be found. And that worries many Americans who have only one fear, that the wreck is found by the enemy. The Chinese and the Indians would thus get their hands on the latest American technologies. So, all the Japanese navy, but also American, is mobilized and researches 24 hours a day the wreck of this F35 to avoid that secrets of military manufacture do not fall into the hands of foreign powers.
As with the Boeing 737, could this accident jeopardize the future of this US fighter?
Technically, this plane is very criticized especially for its development cost, deemed "out of control" by Donald Trump. But its builder, Loockheed Martin, can count on the influence of American diplomacy, which forces the hands of NATO countries to buy American fighter jets, including in Europe. After Italy and Denmark, Belgium has just ordered 34 F35. There is however a European fighter jet: the French Rafale, which does not crash for no reason.