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UK's prized fighter jet still stranded in Kerala: 40-member repair team arrives on July 5
The F-35B Lightning, which belongs to Britain’s Royal Navy, may have to be dismantled; it ended up in Thiruvananthapuram after emergency landing on June 14
The British military jet stranded in Thiruvananthapuram for three weeks, and counting, will have to undergo repairs on site before it can take off again, and a large team of aviation engineers is now to fly in from the UK on July 5 for the repairs, news agency PTI reported on Friday.
The F-35B Lightning jet, which belongs to Britain’s Royal Navy, may have to be dismantled, or be transported in one piece by using a special transport plane such as the C-17 Globemaster.
The long-range supersonic fighter jet had to make an emergency landing on June 14 while it was on a routine exercise after taking off from the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. The carrier is reported to be stationed in the Singapore Strait since the past few weeks.
The team from UK was earlier scheduled to arrive for repairs on July 2, but the visit was postponed for unstated reasons. With 40 members, the team is expected to arrive in the Kerala capital on a special flight.
The jet – worth over $110 million – is at present parked at a bay and is being guarded by a six-member team from the HMS Prince of Wales, sources told PTI.
What led to landing
After the pilot declared an emergency due to adverse weather conditions, the jet was spotted by the Indian Air Force on June 14. “A Royal Navy F-35B fighter was recovered following an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of June 14. The IAF is providing all necessary support for the rectification and subsequent return of the aircraft,” the IAF posted on X.
Officials said the aircraft had to land also because it was low on fuel, but it developed a snag while on the ground. The pilot was taken back to the aircraft carrier the next day by their helicopter.
Why the F-35B is special
The F-35B, manufactured by the American company Lockheed Martin, is a single-seater plane with powered a Pratt & Whitney F135, considered among the the world’s most powerful engines. It can fly at 1.6x the speed of sound.
It is a fifth-generation fighter jet with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, making it ideal for operating from smaller decks and ships.
Days after the emergency landing, the Indian Air Force stated it was providing all necessary support for the "rectification and subsequent return" of the aircraft, the PTI report added.
The HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group conducted joint military exercises with the Indian Navy earlier in June.
