Grounded in Kerala’s capital city of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport since 14 June, the British Royal Navy’s F-35B may fly back soon, reported ANI.
The F-35B was seen on Monday being towed into a hangar at the Thiruvananthapuram airport. There were reports that it may leave on Monday, but the exact date of its departure has yet to be confirmed.
The report added that the F-35B fighter jet, enroute from the UK to Australia, made an emergency landing in Kerala’s Trivandrum following a hydraulic system fault. The jet’s issues have been rectified and a final clearance has been given to fly on Tuesday, reported NDTV.
The F-35B fighter jet, part of the UK Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, was on out on a routine sortie when it developed a snag and could not land on the ship.
After the jet made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, the Indian Air Force provided all required support and assisted in the process, including refuelling.
To repair the F-35B jet, a technical team of the UK Royal Air Force arrived at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on 5 July, however, the 5th generation stealth fighter aircraft was parked at the Bay in the airport for many days.
Later, the jet was moved to Air India hanger where a team from the UK were brought to repair the fighter jet.
Built by Lockheed Martin, F-35Bs are highly advanced stealth jets prized for their short take-off and vertical landing capabilities.
After the F35B jet was parked on the tarmac and soaked by the Kerala monsoon rains, several images surfaced on social media, and people made memes out of them.
The Kerala Tourism Department was the first to share an image of the aircraft on social media X with a humorous caption, “Kerala, the destination you’ll never want to leave”.