F-35B crashes on takeoff from HMS Queen Elizabeth. | Youtube: UK Defence Journal

01/12/2021 13:00
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The British Ministry of Defence now knowns the location of of the F35 stealth jet that crashed on take-off from HMS Queen Elizabeth, which left the port of Palma on Tuesday. The pilot was able to eject safely.

National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove told the Commons Defence Committee yesterday:

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“The pilot was recovered safely and is still undergoing medical checks. We are hopefully that he will be absolutely fine. It would be premature of me to comment on the reasons for the accident. The recovery of the flight data recorder and the wreckage are really vital for an accurate investigation to determine the causes of the crash. Clearly the swift recovery of the aircraft is what we would like to do and we are working closely with allies on the mechanics of that. We haven’t got the plane up yet.

‘We are aware of Russian undersea capabilities, and you are quite right to identify them as being state of the art. The kinds of precautions and operations that we are undertaking at the moment are designed at least in part to ensure that the technology of the F-35B remains as confidential as you would like it to be. Those security aspects are very much at the top of our mind. My understanding is that the experts know where the aircraft is.”