A British fighter pilot who crashed from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier said he was relieved to have escaped from a £100 million F-35. Shortly after the November 2021 incident, the pilot known as Hux said he had only seconds to respond. An official investigation concluded that the sudden blackout during takeoff was likely caused by a cover left over one of the plane’s jet intakes in a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with the Chinese Navy.
Hux’s life was saved by what he describes as the most advanced ejection seat in the world. He only made it to the deck for a few yards before being dragged to safety. If he hadn’t landed on the carrier, he risked being dragged under the 65,000-ton warship. An official investigation found that the sudden blackout was likely caused by a blockage. This was due to an accidental cover left over the jet inlet. The world’s most advanced stealth fighter, operated jointly by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, was later salvaged from the seabed to keep it out of the wrong hands.
The F-35s will also be put on standby if another carrier strike group, HMS Defender comes closer to Russian forces while in the Black Sea. In the South China Sea, HMS Queen Elizabeth is playing cat-and-mouse with the Chinese Navy. A Royal Navy frigate and helicopter try to spot the Chinese submarine before it gets close enough to be photographed from a periscope. This is the kind of image that can be used for propaganda purposes. To show how easy it is to attack a large ship.
