British F-35B jet towed to hangar at Kerala airport
'A UK engineering team has deployed to Thiruvananthapuram international airport to assess and repair the UK F-35B aircraft, which landed following an emergency diversion,' a British high commission spokesperson said.
The UK has accepted India's offer of space at the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Thiruvananthapuram, and the British side is in discussions to 'finalise arrangements with relevant authorities', the spokesperson said.
The expert team, comprising 21 members including aviation engineers, landed at the airport around 12.45 pm in the Royal Air Force ZM 417 aircraft, a type of Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft.
Soon after the arrival of the British team, the £85-million jet was towed from the tarmac to a hangar. Several attempts to fix the aircraft have been unsuccessful and it had been on the tarmac since it landed at Thiruvananthapuram after reporting low fuel levels.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the expert team will inspect the advanced stealth F-35B jet, belonging to the Royal Navy, and attempt to repair it and make it airborne again. In case of failure to do so, the British authorities are expected to partially dismantle the jet, under extreme secrecy, and airlift it possibly in a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, they said.
The fighter jet is part of the Carrier Strike Group aboard the HMS Prince of Wales and had taken part in recent maritime exercises with the Indian Navy.
It made an emergency landing on the night of June 14 at the Thiruvananthapuram airport after reporting low fuel and adverse weather conditions during a routine sortie. The Indian Air Force (IAF) facilitated the safe landing of the jet on June 14 and later provided refuelling and logistical support. Royal Navy technicians from the carrier strike group unsuccessfully attempted to repair the F-35B jet, which was parked at a bay designated for VIP aircraft and was guarded by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Upon landing, the fighter jet developed an engineering issue, precluding its return to the aircraft carrier. Engineers from the HMS Prince of Wales had inspected the aircraft and concluded that the support of a UK-based engineering team was needed.
'To minimise disruptions to the regular airport operations, the aircraft will be moved to a space in the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility hangar once specialist equipment and UK engineering teams arrive,' a statement from the British High Commission in India had stated earlier.
'The safe landing, logistics and continuing security and organisational support provided by India in responding to this situation further demonstrates the close coordination and deepening relationship that exists between the Armed Forces of the UK and India,' it added.
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