A US Air Force F-35A Lightning II squawked the general emergency code 7700 minutes after departing Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, according to tracking reports. The nature of the emergency and the aircraft's status are not yet known.
A US Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter jet squawked the general emergency code 7700 minutes after taking off from Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi, a tracking report shows. The previous bulletin in this thread (published 00:49 Jerusalem) reported an F-35 taking off from Abu Dhabi with its active transponder visible, which drew attention during the ongoing US air campaign against Iran. The emergency squawk now indicates a possible mechanical or operational problem, but no official confirmation or details on the aircraft's status or location have been released. The F-35 was operating in a theater of heightened US aerial activity; multiple B-52 bombers and other fighter squadrons have been deployed in recent days as part of what the Pentagon has called Operation Epic Fury. The aircraft's condition and whether it landed safely remain unconfirmed.
This development follows a thread of US military aircraft movements tracked over the Middle East in the last 48 hours, including B-52s out of Diego Garcia and Sicily, additional fighters from Jordan, and ongoing refueling operations by UAE-based tankers. The emergency code does not necessarily imply a crash or serious incident; it can indicate a range of urgent situations that require priority handling.
4 developments
- StrongUS F-35 lands at Al Dafra base in UAE, report says
- DevelopingUS refueling aircraft land in Israel amid concerns over strikes on US bases in the Middle East
- DevelopingEmergency declared at Ben Gurion Airport after U.S. aircraft hydraulic failure
- DevelopingUnidentified aircraft from UAE lands at Mehrabad Airport after special clearance, despite earlier flight suspension
Source and signal
- Open-source intake