The U.S. Marine Corps has issued a two-day stand-down order for all aviation units after an F-35 went missing after a “mishap”.
Gen. Eric Smith who serves as the highest-ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps called for all aviation units both inside and outside of the United States to stand down after an F-35 vanished without any trace.
As The Gateway Pundit reported on Sunday, the pilot who was operating the F-35B Lightning II jet suffered a mishap while flying but was able to eject himself from the aircraft.
The pilot was able to escape any life-threatening injuries after he parachuted out of the aircraft and landed in a residential neighborhood in South Carolina.
It’s believed that the aircraft is still on auto-pilot but as of now, the Pentagon has no new information regarding the whereabouts of the jet.
This story is utterly bizarre: As Marines continue to search for F-35 after ‘mishap,’ officials order 2-day stand-down for all jets https://t.co/UFdGpu7ZPI
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) September 18, 2023
Per ABC News:
Marine Corps Commandant Eric Smith on Monday issued a two-day stand-down to take place at some point this week for all aviation units both inside and outside of the United States, a Marine Corps spokesman told ABC News.
The move was made in the wake of a “mishap” with an F-35 fighter jet in South Carolina on Sunday.
That craft has not yet been located, though the military continues to search.
No units are allowed to fly until they have a two-day discussion about safety measures and procedures, the commandant said in a service-wide email on Monday. While the Marine Corps commandant said he has full confidence in the aviation units, he said he felt this was the “right and prudent” thing to do given both this incident and another recent incident in Australia.
This is a developing story…