Why the missing F-35 was hard to find — and didn’t stray too far

UPDATED 9/18/2023 at 7:24 pm ET with Joint Base Charleston’s announcement that the F-35’s “debris field” was located in South Carolina.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump once referred to the F-35 as “invisible.” At least as far as officials in South Carolina are concerned, he might have been right. 

On Sunday, a pilot from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort punched out of his F-35B near Charleston. The pilot is safe, a spokesman for the station told Breaking Defense, but what’s unusual is that his Joint Strike Fighter wasn’t found until a full day later, with officials announcing its recovery Monday evening. And while the search caused a flood of jokes on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, there may be very good reasons for why the jet was so hard to find, one expert told Breaking Defense.

Authorities originally focused their search “around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion,” according to a post on X from Joint Base Charleston, which led the hunt for the fighter in coordination with federal, state and local agencies. On Monday evening, the base announced that the fighter’s “debris field” was located in Williamsburg County, a few dozen miles beyond the lakes.

“JB Charleston is transferring incident command to the USMC this evening, as they begin the recovery process. The mishap is currently under investigation, and we are unable to provide additional details to preserve the integrity of the investigative process,” the base said in a release. “We would like to thank all of our mission partners, as well as local, county, and state authorities, for their dedication and support throughout the search and as we transition to the recovery phase.”

Local news reported on Sunday the mishap pilot landed safely near a street adjacent to Charleston International Airport and that his wingman successfully touched down at Joint Base Charleston, which is co-located with the airport. 

Before the debris field was located, the base urged the public to call them with “any information” leading to the missing F-35’s whereabouts. The plane’s maker, Lockheed Martin, said it was “aware of the mishap” and was “supporting the government’s investigation.” 

“There is nothing more important than the health and wellness of the pilot involved,” Russ Goemaere, a spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office, told Breaking Defense in a statement. “Our team will work with the USMC, industry, and all other stakeholders, to assist in the investigation efforts.”

When the jet was missing, NBC News reported that the fighter could’ve been on autopilot — suggesting that it could have flown on its own after the pilot ejected.

A spokesman for Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort would not confirm details of the mishap to Breaking Defense Monday morning. The spokesman said the missing jet hailed from VMFAT-501, a training squadron. 

As the search unfolded, JJ Gertler, a senior analyst with the Teal Group, told Breaking Defense in an email that even if the F-35 was able to keep flying on autopilot, fuel limitations and physics would probably keep it from getting too far. 

The loss of the aircraft’s canopy, and possible damage to the aircraft on the pilot’s way out, would compromise its aerodynamics, Gertler explained. Additionally, the rocket motors used to propel the pilot’s ejection seat from the aircraft may have fried many of the electronics located in its cockpit. 

The aircraft’s transponder, the Washington Post reported, wasn’t working, further complicating the search. Gertler said that if the mishap leading to the pilot’s ejection was just after takeoff (an unknown at this time), the transponder “should’ve been readable even at low altitude, but that may have ceased on ejection. If it were higher, the remnants of the plane could have drifted farther, and again, it may not have had a transponder signal after the pilot punched out.”

The fighter’s stealthy skin is so effective that radar can’t locate them, said Gertler, “which is why they often fly with a small device called a Lunenberg lens attached to increase the radar signature.”

Still, some of these explanations may not satisfy some officials, who are flummoxed by how this could have happened at all.

“How in the hell do you lose an F-35?” Nancy Mace, a House Republican who represents parts of Charleston, wrote on X. “How is there not a tracking device and we’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?” 

Now that it’s been located, the Marines should be able to start answering some of the key questions.