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Mystery of the 'zombie' F-35: Pentagon takes 28 hours to find missing fighter jet, Internet asks how military can lose an '$80M aircraft'

Authorities finally discovered the F-35 jet's wreckage in a well-kept field just 85 miles north of the South Carolina base

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: The eventual discovery of the missing F-35 around 80 miles from its base after a frantic 28-hour search is raising serious questions regarding how the Pentagon can lose such an expensive aircraft. 

Notably, two airplanes were flying side-by-side over North Charleston on Sunday, September 17, and at roughly 2 pm the pilot of the Marine F-35B Lightning II, who took off from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, had to eject from the aircraft due to an unknown issue.

According to the base spokesman Tech Sgt James Cason, the second F-35 pilot, who was also on the training mission, made a seamless landing, as per Daily Mail. 

Authorities find missing F-35 fighter jet after a 28-hour search

At the end of a 28-hour search, authorities found the F-35 jet's debris field two hours northeast of Joint Base Charleston while looking near two South Carolina lakes on Monday, September 18, for the military airplane that apparently crashed after the pilot successfully ejected out. 

The US Marine Corps announced a two-day aviation standdown to evaluate safety protocols - an unprecedented request made in response to the search.

Around 2 pm on Sunday, the unnamed pilot parachuted to safety into a North Charleston neighborhood and was brought to a hospital, where Marines Maj Melanie Salinas said that he was in stable condition.

According to Joint Base Charleston Senior Master Sgt Heather Stanton, the search was concentrated around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, north of North Charleston.

Why did the Pentagon require 28 hours to find the missing F-35 aircraft?

According to Jeremy Huggins, another Joint Base Charleston spokesman, the stealth jet's transponder, which often aids in locating the aircraft, was not functioning for some undetermined reason, leading to a delayed discovery, as per Daily Mail.

The base was compelled to open a hotline for tips, which was viciously criticized online, and make an embarrassing appeal for help in locating the missing jet. Huggins explained, "So that's why we put out the public request for help."

Huggins explained, "The aircraft is stealth, so it has different coatings and different designs that make it more difficult than a normal aircraft to detect."

Meanwhile, it was revealed on Monday night that the Pentagon in 2019 was concerned that the jet would be vulnerable to a cyberattack, which may have caused anxiety during the 28-hour search effort.

Marine Corps Commandant Eric Smith issued the order, "All aviation forces within and outside of the United States were ordered to stand down for two days."

The wreckage was uncovered in a well-kept field when the plane was finally located on Monday afternoon in a county just 85 miles north of the base.

Aerial imagery shows broken trees and debris in a copse next to the field, with a sizable patch of blackened, burnt ground.

Although the crash did not appear to have occurred in a distant area, it is unknown whether locals notified the military about the discovery.

Netizens react to the Pentagon losing an '$80M aircraft'

Social media users took to X (formerly Twitter) and provided hilarious responses to address their concerns about the Pentagon losing the expensive F-35 aircraft on air.

One exclaimed, "The US Military is asking the Public about a missing Stealth fighter jet? This is a joke, right? How do you lose an $80 million aircraft????"

"How do you lose track of a F-35 jet? Doesn’t military aircraft have a lot of tracking equipment already built into it? Serious question," inquired a user. 

Another asked, "How do you lose a $90M jet? Give it to the Marines. LOL! Just some good-natured ribbing of my Devil Dog Brethren. HOOYAH! USAF!"

"First of all, how do you just lose a Fighter jet? You lose socks but a Jet, really?! Second what does it going missing in a "Red State" have to do with it?" stated one more. 

A user quipped, "Keys? I get. Wallet? Cell phone? OK. A pair of sunglasses? Guilty. ...but how do you lose a whole fighter jet? Nah."

Another snarked, "How do you lose a jet? A 80 million dollar jet and then have the AUDACITY to ask us to look for it, FOR FREE? Ain’t posted no reward money, a gift card, a get out of jail free card, NOTHING."