Japan finds part of missing F-15 jet, search for crew continues

Japanese aircraft and boats have been searching for two crew members from a fighter jet that is believed to have crashed.

The Japan Air Self-Defence Force jet disappeared from air traffic control radars on Monday shortly after take-off, around 5 kilometres from Komatsu air base on the Sea of Japan coast, which has two tactical fighter squadrons.

Part of the F-15 jet, which was on a training mission, has been found but authorities are still searching for the two people on board, top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters on Tuesday.

"As part of the fuselage of the fighter jet was discovered in the area, the fighter jet is believed to have crashed," Matsuno said.

Search and rescue helicopters and three coast guard ships continued their search after earlier finding aircraft debris in the sea, the Japan Coast Guard said in a press release.

Speaking to reporters, Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi dismissed an early media report that one of the pilots had been found.

Reason unknown

No explanation for the crash has been given so far, and the defence ministry has not sought to ground F-15s in the wake of the incident.

Most of the Boeing Co F-15 jets flown by Japan were built under licence by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and have been Japan's mainstay frontline fighter for four decades.

They regularly scramble to respond to Chinese and Russian aircraft probing the country's airspace.

Japan has around 200 F-15s, half of which will be upgraded by Boeing to extend their operating life and improve capability.

Most of Japan's F-15s are single-seat aircraft, with the two-seater variant used for training.

In 2019, a Japanese Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter on a training mission crashed into Pacific Ocean after its pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation.