How stranded F-35 Jet will be dismantled in Kerala, what are the hurdles?

The British F-35 fighter jet that made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala on June 14 has been grounded since then. Several attempts by the engineers of the aircraft to repair the hydraulic problem due to which the jet is stranded has failed. And now, the jet is to be partially dismantled and airlifted back to the United Kingdom in a military cargo aircraft.

But how will the dismantling happen? Here are a few steps that are likely to be undertaken.

• The jet is likely to be dismantled in a way that it fits into the C-17 Globemaster, a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force.
• Highly trained engineers by aerospace and defence firm Lockheed Martin can do it. Notably, F-35B is a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the Lockheed Martin-built fifth-generation aircraft. While all this happens the British military will be on the spot monitoring the development.
• The F-35 is about 14 metres long, with a wingspan of around 11 metres, therefore there could be the requirement of dismantling the wings as the width of the Globemaster is just 4 metres, while the length is adequate - 26 metres - reported India Today.
• But this is not as easy as it sounds. Detaching the wings of this advanced jet could be complex and may require a couple of days.
• While all the dismantling happens, every move has to be logged and verified to minimise the risk of data breach.
• The Globemaster has a carrying capacity of around 77 tonnes. Two F-35s can be carried after dismantling them.

How did the jet get stranded

Operating from the United Kingdom’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales on June 14, 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.

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.