Russia keeping close watch on search for lost RAF jet
THE RAF’S crashed F-35 went down soon after take off, it has emerged as the race to recover the aircraft continues.
Defence sources confirmed that since Wednesday’s crash, in which the Carrier Strike Group lose one of the RAF’S eight F-35B stealth fast jets, Russia had been paying close attention to the incident.
There are concerns about the need to protect the sensitive information the £100million jet contains, with F-35s considered the most complex and guarded aircraft the UK possesses.
“The Russians haven’t taken their eyes off the carrier while it’s been in the eastern Med,” a source said. “Recovering the jet is the top priority to stop it falling into the wrong hands.”
It is believed that the jet crashed into the sea close to the ship on Wednesday morning shortly after 10am.
The RAF pilot ejected and was rescued, and has since been taken to hospital in Greece for a routine medical check-up. In order for the pilot to be flown to the hospital from HMS Queen Elizabeth, the aircraft carrier had to sail closer to land so that a helicopter could meet it at sea.
Due to the change of course, the Prince of Wales was yesterday forced to cancel a planned visit to the ship from Egypt.
Despite the fact that it is thought the aircraft landed near the ship, some have suggested a plane will travel underwater almost as it would in the air, meaning it would have travelled a significant distance after the crash.
Given the aircraft went down in around 1.24 miles of water, it is likely the search area on the sea bed will be a circle of about four miles in diameter.
The Daily Telegraph understands the F-35 has not yet been located, but Royal Navy ships are remaining in the area to deter anyone else trying to recover the aircraft.
The jet’s black box should still be signalling, provided that it was not damaged in the crash.
The Navy will send down a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to be directed on to the wreckage by this signal. Flotation devices that fill with compressed gas could then be attached to the jet by the ROV. These are effectively “opensided” balloons that open to allow the expansion of gases as the wreckage ascends to the surface.
The Ministry of Defence will first be working to locate the jet. After it is found, the department has to decide whether to recover the aircraft or any pieces if it has broken up.
The technology exists for such a recovery, even given the depth of water. The US military has considerable experience of this, having suffered a number of “ditchings” from aircraft carriers.
If a recovery operation is launched, a dedicated salvage platform will need to be located and contracted for the task, given the MOD does not own such equipment. Britain will likely call on allies to support the logistics of any such operation.
However, it is not known how long a salvage operation will take. It will not be quick and will be dictated by the location of any salvage platform.
While the UK is aware that Russia is watching, Navy sources last night sought to play down the threat.
A source insisted that Russian Kiloclass submarines, which could be used to search for the jet, are located in the Black Sea and are not capable of diving to 1.24 miles.
The MOD does not comment or speculate on matters that could affect operational security but it is thought likely the swift recovery of the aircraft will be a priority.