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UK's F-35B jet, stranded in Kerala for over a month, flies back
The advanced fighter, valued at over $110 million, was forced to land on June 14 at Thiruvananthapuram airport after developing a technical snag.
An F-35B combat jet of the Royal Navy, stranded at Thiruvananthapuram airport since June 14 after experiencing a technical problem, departed on Tuesday, a British high commission spokesperson said.
Several attempts to fix the £85-million jet were unsuccessful and it had been on the tarmac for weeks since it made an emergency landing after reporting low fuel levels. Bad weather at the time prevented the jet from returning to the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which was 100 nautical miles off the Kerala coast.
A team of British military engineers arrived at Thiruvananthapuram airport with specialised equipment on July 6 to repair the F-35B.
The British high commission spokesperson said the aircraft departed from Thiruvananthapuram international airport on Tuesday after the engineering team completed “repairs and safety checks, allowing the aircraft to resume active service”.
The spokesperson added, “The UK remains very grateful for the support and collaboration of the Indian authorities and airport teams throughout the repair and recovery process.
“We look forward to continuing to strengthen our defence partnership with India.”
People familiar with the matter said the aircraft was unable to return to HMS Prince of Wales on June 14 because of adverse weather conditions. Prioritising safety, the aircraft diverted to Thiruvananthapuram, but it subsequently developed an engineering issue while on the ground, which precluded its return to the carrier strike group.
Engineers from HMS Prince of Wales assessed the aircraft and decided that the support of a UK-based engineering team was needed, the people said.
The UK also accepted India’s offer to move the aircraft to the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at Thiruvananthapuram.
“To ensure minimal disruption to regular airport operations, it was decided to move the aircraft once UK engineering teams arrive with specialist equipment,” one of the people cited above said.
The UK complied with all standard requirements for commercial airports, the people said.
The aircraft’s prolonged presence on the tarmac at Thiruvananthapuram airport had triggered considerable speculation and led to a spate of jokes and memes online.
