I'd also imagine an airtag is useless in this scenario as if it crashed and no one knows about it, it's likely not near someone's Bluetooth enabled phone either.
F35s have transponders, just like every other aircraft that flies in the US. They are necessary to avoid mid-air collisions. When flying a stealth mission in enemy airspace, they can turn the transponders off.
Don't black boxes have beacons of some kind?
I'd also imagine an airtag is useless in this scenario as if it crashed and no one knows about it, it's likely not near someone's Bluetooth enabled phone either.
Uhhh...
F35 is a stealth aircraft. Beacons are literally against the point of the damn thing.
People are asking 'How could you lose your invisible car? Why didn't you just put a tracking device on it?'
F35s have transponders, just like every other aircraft that flies in the US. They are necessary to avoid mid-air collisions. When flying a stealth mission in enemy airspace, they can turn the transponders off.
Unfortunately, the transponder on this particular F35 is not working.
They also turn them off for a number of other reasons.
Sure, but the point is they have transponders. And pilots generally use them (because it's safer) unless they have a good reason not to.