An Air Self-Defense Force F-2A fighter jet crashed Thursday in the Pacific off eastern Japan during a training flight, with the pilot rescued after escaping the aircraft before impact.The pilot in his 30s ejected from the aircraft before it went down around 12:35 p.m. off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture, according to the ASDF, which later announced it grounded all 90 F-2s unless needed for urgent duties such as airspace violation responses.The single-seater jet, based at the Hyakuri Air Base in the prefecture northeast of Tokyo, took off from there about 11:45 a.m. The pilot reported an ano…READ FULL ARTICLE
