An F-35A aircraft, designated AX-6. Courtesy of the F-35 Joint Program Office
Insider: Japan lost an F-35 in the Pacific, and the US is in trouble if Russia or China find it first
* Japan's military reported on Tuesday that it lost an F-35 stealth jet some 84 miles off the east coast of Aomori prefecture, Japan, in the Pacific.
* Experts say Russia and China will do anything to get a look at the crashed jet, and if they do find it or can salvage it, they could seriously undermine the next several decades of US airpower.
* Russia and China probably couldn't perfectly reconstruct the F-35, but any of its technology that ends up in the countries' hands would be a blow to the heart of the US military.
Japan's military reported on Tuesday that it lost contact with an F-35 stealth jet some 84 miles off the east coast of Aomori prefecture, Japan, in the Pacific and that the hunt was on for the pilot and the downed plane.
But if Russia or China — which both maintain a heavy naval presence in the region — find the plane first, the future of US airpower could be over before it started.
"Bottom line is that it would not be good" for the future of US airpower if Japan or the US don't quickly recover the jet, retired US Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula told Business Insider.
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Update: Missing Japanese F-35 poses major security headache for US if it falls into Russian or Chinese hands (FOX News)
WNU Editor: I am sure that what is left of the jet will be found by U.S. and Japanese teams.
