Monday, September 18, 2023

F-35 Thunderjug Follies, Pt. Eleventy





6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Conspiracy theory: Plane went 'missing' but will show up as some sort of secret weapon in Ukraine.

maruadventurer said...

Anybody have the straight skivvy on what malfunctioned? All I have heard from the presstitutes is a transponder malfunction. That is insufficient cause to leave a viable airframe.

Harbinger62 said...

Couple of ideas: first if it was training under a completely dark ie undetectable profile then it would explain why the transponder was not working in that it was turned off. Now that would almost be a crime for anyone else flying in a busy airspace. Only Class D and G airspace don't require a working ADS-B out transponder. A military jet would not be inside D and G airspace long enough to matter since they are over non-controlled airports. Possibly there are special military rules for being able to fly without a transponder if a wingman has one operating.

Perhaps the aircraft went into some type of auto land profile and landed itself at a nearby airport. Perhaps they should send people to the look at these airports to see if there is a gently used/ejection seat missing, F-35 sitting on the ramp.

John Wilder said...

What's $120 million between friends?

Anonymous said...

Transponder wasn't on but that doesn't necessarily mean it was malfunctioning.
When fighters fly together in a group, typically only the lead has the transponder on.
Might've been an electrical problem, but it might not have been on at all.

Anonymous said...

I’m going with DEI transbender pilot who had a panic attack and punched out.