The United States and Japan have not yet ascertained the causes of the accident, but according to the newspaper "Nikkei" the suspects focus on the on-board system responsible for the generation and supply of oxygen (Obogs), which for years has caused problems for the developers of the 'F-35, and who has been responsible for several incidents in the past. The Obogs is a system that draws oxygen from the air around the aircraft, and provides it to the pilot in the concentration necessary to conduct high-altitude operations. Systems of this type have been in use for over three decades, and they are equipped with combat aircraft such as the F-16 and the F / A-18.
However, since the US started using the Obogs on the F-22 stealth aircraft, in the 2008, over 20 cases have been recorded of pilots suffering from symptoms of hypoxia in flight. An F-22A crashed in November 2010 due, apparently, to a lack of oxygen to the pilot. The problem has recurred in other aircraft, including the F-35A.
The fact that the Japanese pilot involved in this month's incident had requested an interruption of the exercise shortly before the accident, suggests that the soldier had identified a problem that rapidly deteriorated, as would happen precisely in case of failure of the system oxygen supply.
As reported by some Japanese sources, the cause of the accident could be sought in a hacker attack while updating its electronic systems, which occurs with the connection of the aircraft with the Alis program.
This possible problem could prove to be a flaw for computer security even for other fighters like theF-22 Raptor and other connected and network dependent aircraft.
In further support of this hypothesis it became known that the Pentagon will provide to Japan of the top secret technical details on the F-35 to try to pinpoint the causes.
The United States and Japan, meanwhile, have mobilized substantial resources to locate and recover the wreck of the fifth generation F-35 fighter-bomber that crashed in the Pacific, fearing that the remains of the advanced fighter plane could fall into the hands of China and Russia.
Since the disappearance of the aircraft under the Japanese Air Force, the 9 last April, the US and Japan have sent deployed maritime patrol aircraft and ships to find the aircraft and its pilot, Major Akinori Hosomi, whose body has not yet been identified. In search of P-8A Poseidon aircraft, intended for the antisubmarine struggle, and the destroyer Uss Stethem, equipped with the powerful Aegis radar system. The search would have included B-52 strategic bombers taking off from Guam.
However, Japan has already ordered dozens of F-35 fighter-bombers, and also intends to modernize its interceptor fleet, replacing the Mitsubishi F-2 and F-15J aircraft, which should be withdrawn from service around the 2030. But Tokyo has recently given up on developing a fifth-generation combat aircraft on its own. In recent years the Ministry of Defense had identified three alternatives to replace the expensive F-16-derived aircraft, and independently developed by Japan with the help of US jet engines. The ministry had considered the option of independently developing a new aircraft, based on Mitsubishi's X-2 Shinshin technology demonstrator (Atd-x); other options were the development of an aircraft in collaboration with allied countries, or the extension of the operational life of the F-2. This last option, however, was discarded in the light of growing military activism and the rapid modernization of the armed forces by China and Russia.