Stranded British F-35 fighter jet finally departs Kerala after 5 weeks
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Thiruvananthapuram: The British Royal Navy’s F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, which had been grounded in Kerala for over five weeks following an emergency landing, finally took off from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday. The state-of-the-art, fifth-generation combat aircraft is reportedly en route to its destination in Australia.
The jet, known for its short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, is a part of the United Kingdom’s HMS 'Prince of Wales'Grounded in Kerala since mid-June due to a hydraulic fault, the British Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet resumed its journey to Australia on Tuesday. The aircraft had made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram after joint drills with the Indian Navy. Carrier Strike Group. It had been returning from joint maritime exercises with the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pacific region when a technical malfunction forced it to make an unscheduled landing in the Kerala capital on June 14. The issue was later identified as a fault in its hydraulic systems.
Initially, a team of engineers was dispatched to Thiruvananthapuram to fix the snag but was unable to restore the aircraft to operational status. Subsequently, British defence authorities decided to bring in a specialised team of aviation engineers from the United Kingdom and the United States. The team, composed of experts from the British Royal Navy and Lockheed Martin — the jet’s manufacturer — arrived in Kerala earlier this month.
The aircraft was initially parked in the open at the airport before being moved to a hangar, where the engineering team cordoned off the area to begin intensive repair work. Within a week, they managed to restart the jet’s engine, and by the end of last week, it was declared fit for flight.
On Monday, the aircraft was brought out to the tarmac for final checks, and on Tuesday morning, it successfully departed Kerala skies. The team of engineers is also expected to return later in the day on the same special flight that brought them to India.
The rare sight of the advanced combat aircraft stationed in Kerala sparked widespread interest and amusement on social media, with many sharing memes and jokes about its prolonged stay. Even Kerala Tourism joined in, capitalising on the attention by posting on X: “Kerala, the destination you will never want to leave. Thank you, The Fauxy,” along with a spoof “review” from the jet saying, “Kerala is such an amazing place, I don’t want to leave. Definitely recommend.”
Now that the jet has finally left, it has once again stirred a buzz online — this time as a farewell moment.
With IANS inputs
