UK reviewing status of 17 F-35s after Japan crash

A Japan Coast Guard vessel and a U.S. military aircraft conduct rescue and search operations at the site where an Air Self-Defense Force's F-35A stealth fighter jet crashed during an exercise on April 9, 2019, off Aomori prefecture, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo April 10, 2019. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

BERLIN (Reuters) - The British Ministry of Defence is in close touch with U.S. officials and reviewing the status of its 17 F-35B fighter jets after the crash of a Japanese F-35 jet in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, a ministry spokesperson said.

"Safety is of the utmost importance and very closely managed on the F-35 programme. We will continue to review the situation as further information becomes available," the spokesperson said.

Britain, which plans to buy a total of 138 F-35 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin <LMT.N>, declared its fleet of F-35B fighter jets ready for initial combat operations from land in January.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Thomas Seythal)