Swiss fighter plane goes missing in central Swiss Alps

GENEVA – The Swiss Defense Department says an air force fighter jet has gone missing in the Alps of central Switzerland.

The air force F/A-18C went missing Monday afternoon near the Susten pass, east of Interlaken. The defense department says in a statement that searches are underway, and nothing was immediately known about the fate of the pilot.

No further information was immediately provided. A news conference was expected later Monday.

According to parent company Boeing, the first F/A-18 Hornet built by McDonnell Douglas took flight in 1978 and became the first tactical aircraft aimed to conduct both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.