AS the world now knows, on January 24 the US Navy lost one of its most advanced fighter jets in the South China Sea. The $100 million F-35C warplane crash-landed on the US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and careened overboard. The US is trying to recover it from the ocean bottom. The retrieval attempt will be an extremely complex operation that may take months if successful. If the location of the operation is within the Philippines' claimed 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the effort may raise legal questions.

This world top-of-the line stealth jet fighter would be a treasure trove of intelligence for a potential adversary capable of examining it up close. According to Josh Lospinoso, a cybersecurity expert, 'It's a flying supercomputer capable of conducting electronic warfare and intelligence missions. The entire aircraft is crammed with digital components and obtaining these highly classified components — even partially functioning ones — could give China a huge advantage in developing cyberattacks against the aircraft.' Even if the electronics have been destroyed, the plane's fuselage and skin could yield critical details of design and composition.