On Sunday, September 13th a F-35 fighter jet went missing on Sunday after its pilot ejected because of a “safety malfunction” (Military.com). The price for a singular F-35 jet is approximately $100 million and the entire cost of the entire F-35 program will cost taxpayers up to $1.7 trillion (CNN.com).

In a recent and somewhat perplexing turn of events, the missing F-35 jet has been located in South Carolina, bringing an end to a puzzling search that had captured the public’s attention. The Marine Corps found itself in a rather embarrassing situation when it inexplicably lost track of the aircraft just after the pilot ejected with a parachute. Searchers were able to locate debris in Williamsburg County, north of Charleston, as officially announced by Joint Base Charleston (The New York Times). A subsequent confirmation from the U.S. Marine Corps affirmed that the wreckage indeed belonged to the missing F-35. 

The search for the missing fighter jet had garnered widespread speculation and intrigue, prompting an unusual plea for public assistance from Joint Base Charleston. This led to questions about how an advanced F-35 could seemingly vanish into thin air and whether it was still somehow airborne or had met an unnoticed demise. The incident unfolded when a Marine pilot was forced to eject from the F-35 during a routine training mission over North Charleston. Fortunately, the pilot landed safely using the parachute, but the reasons behind the emergency ejection remained shrouded in mystery. The discovery of the wreckage marked the conclusion of a more than 24-hour search that involved numerous government and civilian agencies. Joint Base Charleston has since handed over command of the recovery process to the Marine Corps (The New York Times).

In the midst of this unusual episode, Representative Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, couldn’t resist sharing her incredulity, exclaiming on social media, “How in the hell do you lose an F-35? We’re asking the public to what, find a jet and turn it in?” The Ramapo community was also eager to share their thoughts. Physical Education teacher Coach Maldanato remarked, “I have no idea how that happens. Just a complete disaster.” Similarly, senior student Alex Batarseh stated, “I was so confused when I heard about the story online. How can a whole jet in 2023 go missing?”