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British F-35 jet stranded in Kerala will be moved to hangar, several attempts to fix problem fails

British F-35 jet stranded in Kerala will be moved to hangar, several attempts to fix problem fails

British Royal Navy F-35 fighter jet Photograph: (X)

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The fighter plane was not being moved from the bay as the Royal Navy did not want anybody to have a close look at the "protected technologies" of the fighter jet.

 

The British F-35 fighter jet that made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala on June 14 and failed to take off from the airport, will be moved to the local maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for repairs. Several attempts by the engineers of the aircraft have failed to fix the hydraulic problem due to which the jet is stranded.

The plane parked in bay 4 of the airport will finally be moved to a hangar as the repair may take time. The fighter plane was not being moved from the bay as the Royal Navy did not want anybody to have a close look at the "protected technologies" of the fighter jet.

The British High Commission spokesperson said, "A UK F-35B aircraft is awaiting repairs at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport after developing an engineering issue. The UK has accepted an offer to move the aircraft to the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility at the airport."

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"The aircraft will be moved to the hangar once UK engineering teams arrive with specialist equipment, thereby ensuring there is minimal disruption to scheduled maintenance of other aircraft," they added.

A team of engineers from the UK and the US will arrive soon to rectify the snag. If it is not successful, arrangements may have to be made to move the jet out using a freighter plane. A British High Commission spokesperson said: “We are working to repair the UK F-35B at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as quickly as possible. We thank the Indian authorities for their continued support.”

Operating from the United Kingdom’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, the fighter jet was conducting a routine flying outside India’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) when it was diverted to Thiruvananthapuram, the designated emergency recovery airfield for the aircraft.

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Initially, the fighter jet was facing a problem of low fuel and the Indian Air Force provided all necessary help. But after it was readying for departure that the jet experienced problem with its hydraulics and therefore could not take off, said air force officials.

This is the first time that the US-made fighter jet is stranded in a foreign country due to technical issues.

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Aditya Shukla

Aditya Shukla has a vast experience of over 20 years in the field of journalism. During the years, he has worked in TV and digital, covering Indian politics and world news extensiv...Read More

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