Americans hope to fly home spy plane

As US technicians prepared to inspect a grounded Navy spy plane, an American military spokesman said today that Washington still hopes to fly home the aircraft damaged in a collision with a Chinese fighter jet.

Technicians from Lockheed Martin, the main builder of the EP-3E plane, will look at the extent of damage to its engines and body to decide whether it can fly, said Army Lt Col Stephen Barger, a spokesman for the US Pacific Command.