A bizarre race against time is under way for the US Navy to reach one of its downed fighter jets – before the Chinese get there first.
The $100m F35-C plane came down in the South China Sea after what the Navy describes as a “mishap” during take-off from the USS Carl Vinson.
The jet is the Navy’s newest, and crammed with classified equipment – and, as it is in international waters, is technically fair game.
Whoever gets there first, wins.
