A British F-35B stealth fighter jet, forced to make an emergency landing at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, is still grounded nearly three weeks later. With repair efforts failing, the UK is now preparing for a rare recovery — airlifting the fifth-generation fighter using a massive C-17 Globemaster aircraft.
The jet, part of the Royal Navy fleet and stationed on HMS Prince of Wales in the Indo-Pacific, diverted mid-mission on June 15 after bad weather ruled out a carrier landing. Though the pilot landed safely, the aircraft later developed a technical snag, which UK officials have described as an “engineering issue.”
Specialised engineers flown in from the UK have been trying to fix the problem using advanced diagnostic tools, but so far, the jet hasn’t been cleared for take-off. With no timeline in sight, moving the aircraft by air has become the most likely option.
Indian authorities, including the Indian Air Force, have been coordinating with British officials to shift the aircraft into a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul hangar at the airport. Meanwhile, a Royal Navy helicopter had arrived a day after the incident to extract the pilot, while the jet has remained under constant security watch.
The jet had been returning from a routine Indo-UK naval exercise when it ran into low fuel and rough weather, triggering the unscheduled landing.
Globally, the F-35B is known for its vertical landing capabilities and advanced systems. The programme is the most expensive defence aviation project in history, with these aircraft regularly deployed in operations by the US, UK, Israel and others.
For now, the fighter sits silent in Kerala, waiting for a possible farewell aboard the C-17 — a heavyweight lifter for a heavyweight jet.
