OT: Expensive!

[Footslogger]

https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=kzeu1m

[Macquarrie1999]

And in a very bad spot. I haven't heard if the Navy has salvaged it yet, but I'm sure China would like to get their hands on an F-35.

[Edmon]

Whats interesting to me about this story is that, international maritime law is unclear as to the ownership of an item (or ship for that matter) that has been dumped/crashed/lost at sea.

Just because it was yours before you lost it at sea, doesn't mean it remains your property once you've lost possession of it to the sea.

If China managed to recover the F-35, there isn't actually any clear legal precedent for the US to demand the return of the F-35 as an "owned" object. Even worse for the US, the US itself has used this legally ambiguous part of maritime law to recover other countries military hardware from the sea, near their borders... refusing to return items to Russia (for example) when asked.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: Edmon

Whats interesting to me about this story is that, international maritime law is unclear as to the ownership of an item (or ship for that matter) that has been dumped/crashed/lost at sea.

Just because it was yours before you lost it at sea, doesn't mean it remains your property once you've lost possession of it to the sea.

If China managed to recover the F-35, there isn't actually any clear legal precedent for the US to demand the return of the F-35 as an "owned" object. Even worse for the US, the US itself has used this legally ambiguous part of maritime law to recover other countries military hardware from the sea, near their borders... refusing to return items to Russia (for example) when asked.

They haven't returned them because they are already dismantled/disassembled/deconstructed. Case in point - SS Red October was turned into razor blades. Don't believe me? Note that after that movie, Gillette switched from 3-blade razors to 5-blade! [:D]