US recovers stealth jet lost in South China Sea

An F-35C stealth jet sits on deck of the USS Carl Vinson in the Western Pacific, south of Japan, in 2021. - Reuters

WASHINGTON (AFP): The United States Navy said Thursday (March 3) it had recovered a stealth fighter jet that sank in the South China Sea after crashing off an aircraft carrier while trying to land.

A major recovery operation was launched to find the plane -- one of the most advanced in the US military -- after it was lost in an area of rising tensions between the United States and China.