Japan: Pilot's body found two weeks after F-15 fighter jet went missing

The body of one of the pilots of the Japanese F-15 fighter jet that went missing in January has been discovered in the Sea of Japan, according to local media reports. The pilot's body was discovered near the crash scene in Ishikawa Prefecture, according to the NHK broadcaster. A portion of the fighter jet's keel was discovered in the same vicinity of the Sea of Japan.

The search for a second pilot is still ongoing. On January 31, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force plane vanished from air traffic control radars immediately after takeoff, roughly 5 kilometres (3 miles) from Komatsu Airbase, which has two tactical fighter squadrons on the Sea of Japan coast, the ministry said on Tuesday. According to Japanese officials, the F-15 fighter plane had not sent an emergency signal before it went missing, and they had received no calls indicating irregularities or rescue signals before it went missing.

Jet's conditions "deteriorated fast," leaving the two-person crew no time to react

Officials believe the flight conditions "deteriorated fast," leaving the two-person crew no time to react, according to the report. Nobuo Kishi, the Japanese defence minister, told reporters on Tuesday that an early media report that one of the pilots had been located was false. The Japan Coast Guard said in a press release that search and rescue helicopters and three coastguard ships were continuing their search after previously discovering aeroplane debris in the sea.

"As part of the fuselage of the fighter jet was discovered in the area, the fighter jet is believed to have crashed," Hirokazu Matsuno, a top government spokesperson, told reporters on Tuesday.

"All attempts" are being undertaken to locate the missing crew members, he further added. The majority of Japan's F-15 fighter jets were constructed under licence by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and have served as the country's principal front-line fighter for four decades, scurrying to respond to Chinese and Russian aircraft probing the country's airspace.

Japan has 200 F-15s, half of which will be refurbished by Boeing to increase their operational life and capabilities. The two-seater variant is utilised for training. The majority of Japan's F-15s are single-seaters. In 2019, a Japanese Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth aircraft on a training mission fell into the Pacific Ocean after the pilot suffered from spatial disorientation, according to reports.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: ANI