The man asks the emergency operator to send an ambulance, before the pilot takes over the phone himself. – A fighter plane has crashed. I’m the pilot. We have to start the rescue operation, says the pilot. – I’m not sure where the plane is. It must have crashed somewhere. I shot myself out. The pilot, who said he was 47 years old, said he was “okay” after ejecting from the F 35 fighter jet at an altitude he estimated at about 600 meters. However, he complained of back pain. – Could you please send an ambulance, the pilot continued. The plane disappeared on Sunday after what the military called a “mishap”. The plane is said to have continued to fly and was missing without a trace for over a day. The Air Force, via social media, asked the public for help in finding it. Wreckage from the plane was later found scattered in the countryside, about 120 kilometers north of the US Air Force base in Charleston from which the plane originated. The F 35 is an advanced, sought-after and very expensive aircraft with a price tag of approximately 80 million dollars, equivalent to 900 million kroner. It is said to be extra difficult for the enemy to detect, even with radar. According to a spokesperson for the air base, those very characteristics contributed to problems in the search.
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