UK engineering team arrives in Kerala to repair stranded F-35 jet

A UK engineering team has arrived in Thiruvananthapuram to assess and repair the UK Royal Navy’s F-35B stealth fighter jet, which made an emergency landing at the airport here last month. The jet was on Sunday moved to a designated facility for British engineers to assess it, sources said.

In a statement today, the British High Commission said, “A UK engineering team has deployed to Thiruvananthapuram to assess and repair the UK F-35B aircraft.” The UK had accepted the offer of space in the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, the statement said.

In line with standard procedure, the aircraft was moved to the MRO facility following the arrival of UK engineers, who are carrying specialist equipment necessary for towing the plane and equipment needed to repair the jet.

“The UK remains very grateful for the continued support and collaboration of the Indian authorities and airport teams,” the statement said.

The F-35B fighter jet, worth over USD 110 million and known to be one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, had made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14. The jet was running low on fuel over the Arabian Sea and rough weather led the pilot to seek a diversion. The jet had landed safely, but it developed a technical snag and was unable to return to the carrier.

An Indian Air Force spokesperson in New Delhi had clarified it was a normal occurrence that the F-35B pilot sought a diversion. “The IAF was fully aware and facilitated the aircraft for flight safety reasons,” he said.

The diversion was as per the contingency plans agreed upon between the Indian and UK armed forces for Operation Highmast, launched by the UK in April for eight months. (With PTI inputs)