Million Dollar F-35 Fighter Jet's Disappearing Act Sparks Questions: 'Taxpayers Have A Right To Know'

The sudden disappearance and subsequent crash of a $100 million F-35B Lightning II fighter jet has sparked numerous questions, but most remain unanswered, The Hill reported.

The jet went missing over the weekend and was found in a wooded area of South Carolina over 24 hours later after a broad multi-agency search. The pilot was forced to eject, but the reasons remain unclear.

Lawmakers and former officials have expressed dissatisfaction over the incident and the lack of answers from the military. 

"Classification will undoubtedly limit what is made public but taxpayers have a right to know some basic answers," said James Hutton, a retired Army colonel and former assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs, on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), echoed Hutton’s stance, "That's the $80 million question. We've invested so much money into this program. And the minute there's an accident, we have no idea where the jet is. That's just unacceptable.”

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The recovery team is currently securing the debris field but the Marines have been tight-lipped about the incident and why it took so long to locate the crashed jet.

The jet, a single-seat F-35B made by Lockheed Martin was described as the “most advanced fighter jet in the world.”

The crash is the third Marine Corps aircraft mishap within six weeks, prompting the service to order a two-day safety stand down to assess the situation.

Photo by aappp on Shutterstock


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