Overview
- A U.S. Air Force F-35 transmitted emergency code 7700 Sunday over the Strait of Hormuz and diverted toward UAE airspace, with FlightRadar24 showing a descent before the transponder went dark.
- U.S. Central Command and the Air Force have not issued a statement, leaving the cause and the jet’s destination unclear.
- AIRLIVE identified the aircraft as 13-5067 and, citing anonymous sources, said it landed at Prince Sultan Air Base, a claim not confirmed by other outlets.
- AIRLIVE later reported a second F-35 declared an emergency early Monday and landed at Al Dhafra in the UAE, which U.S. officials have not verified.
- The reports surfaced as the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar described drone incursions and a cargo ship hit in Gulf waters, a backdrop that puts extra focus on U.S. sorties near the strait.