Thiruvanthapuram: A British F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet has been parked in the open at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram International Airport for the past six days after making an emergency landing on June 14.
The fighter jet is one of the most advanced and expensive military aircraft in the world and is part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier group.
The F-35B made an unscheduled landing after the pilot reported low fuel. The Indian Air Force later confirmed it was an emergency landing and assured full support to the British team.
Since then, the aircraft has been under heavy security at the airport while British aviation engineers work to fix a technical fault in the jet’s hydraulic system. Despite days of repair efforts, the problem has not yet been resolved.
Sources said that Air India had offered hangar space to shelter the aircraft from the sun and rain, but the Royal Navy declined. One possible reason is the presence of highly protected technologies onboard the F-35B.
Britain may not want sensitive systems on the aircraft to be exposed or closely observed by others, especially while inside a shared hangar.
While the Royal Navy has so far refused to move the aircraft indoors, sources say they might consider doing so for a final inspection and repair, depending on how the situation develops.
The stealth jet’s presence at the airport has attracted attention from aviation fans and curious onlookers. The F-35B is known for its ability to take off and land vertically, a feature that makes it especially useful for aircraft carriers like the HMS Prince of Wales, which is currently operating in the Indo-Pacific region and recently completed joint naval exercises with Indian Navy.
