F-35 Fighter Jet Moved To MRO Facility At Thiruvananthapuram Airport: What’s Happening?
The Royal Navy's F-35B fighter jet had been stranded in India for over a month before it finally took off. Image courtesy: Representative picture via Royal Navy
The British Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet that made an emergency landing in poor weather conditions at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram International Airport earlier this week remains stranded there.
The stealth fighter had been operating from HMS Prince of Wales as part of the United Kingdom’s Indo-Pacific deployment and was returning to the carrier after completing joint exercises with the Indian Navy when the incident occurred.
The British High Commission said that the warplane had further developed an engineering issue on the ground.
What caused the emergency landing?
According to a statement from the British High Commission in Bengaluru, “a UK F-35 aircraft was unable to return to HMS Prince of Wales due to adverse weather conditions. Prioritising safety, the aircraft diverted to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in India, where it landed safely.”
The Indian Air Force later confirmed that the jet had been flying outside India’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) when it encountered difficulties and diverted. Thiruvananthapuram had been designated in advance as the “emergency recovery field.”
Why is the F-35 being taken?
After landing safely, the F-35B developed an “engineering issue whilst on the ground which precluded its return to the Carrier,” the British High Commission said. Engineers aboard the HMS Prince of Wales assessed the jet but determined that repairs required support from a specialised UK-based team.
“At this time, we do not have a forecast for the aircraft being repaired,” the High Commission noted. In the meantime, arrangements are being made to move the jet to a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hangar to avoid disruption to airport operations. The move will take place once specialist equipment and engineering personnel arrive from the UK.
How is the aircraft being secured?
The Indian government has tasked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a paramilitary organisation responsible for guarding critical infrastructure, with round-the-clock protection of the fighter jet. The aircraft is currently parked in the open, near the domestic terminal, exposed to the ongoing monsoon rains.
The F-35B is a fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter capable of short takeoff and vertical landing, and is considered among the most advanced aircraft in the world. This is believed to be the first time an F-35 has made an unscheduled stop in India, marking a rare event in India-UK defense cooperation.
