Pilot’s body found 2 weeks after Japan’s fighter jet disappeared from radar

The F-15 fighter jet was on a training mission when it disappeared from radar. (Representative)

Tokyo:

Japan’s air force said on Sunday it had recovered the body of one of two crew members of a fighter jet that went missing two weeks ago.

The F-15 fighter jet was on a training mission on January 31 when it disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from Komatsu Airbase in the central Ishikawa region, prompting a search for its missing crew.

The Air Force said the Navy had found a body during a search operation in the Sea of ​​Japan on Friday.

The army said it had confirmed the identity of the body, but did not disclose the name and said the search for his co-pilot was on.

Exactly why and how his plane crashed is unclear, but the Defense Ministry has not sought grounding of the F-15 in the wake of the incident.

Japan has occasionally seen accidents involving its air force.

An F-35A stealth jet crashed at sea in 2019 after the pilot suffered spatial disorientation, leading to a scramble to recover the body and sensitive military equipment on board the plane.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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