British fighter jet stranded in India for over five weeks is finally ready to fly home
The F-35B fighter jet was on a routine sortie over the Indian Ocean last month when it came across bad weather roughly 100 nautical miles off the coast of India, forcing it to abandon plans to return to its aircraft carrier, the Royal Navy 's flagship HMS Prince of Wales.
Instead, the pilot requested emergency landing clearance at Kerala 's Thiruvananthapuram airport.
An airport spokesperson told the BBC that the F-35B was expected to be moved out of its hangar on Monday, with its departure planned for Tuesday. 'We don't have any technical details,' he added.
A team of UK-based technicians, including experts from the aircraft's manufacturer, have successfully resolved a hydraulic snag that had grounded the jet, The Times of India reported.
The plane's unexpected stay in India has sparked a mixture of amusement in India as well as concern over the potential for its advanced technologies to be compromised. India does not have access to American F-35s itself, though this is something Donald Trump has suggested he could offer New Delhi as part of trade talks.
Engineers from the HMS Prince of Wales were dispatched to inspect the jet shortly after it became stranded in Kerala. But when those initial repair efforts failed, Britain was forced to deploy a specialist team of 14 engineers to Thiruvananthapuram airport with advanced equipment to assess and fix the jet.
Footage from the time showed the aircraft being carefully towed into a hangar for further work. British officials said the UK engineers were 'carrying specialist equipment necessary for the movement and repair process'.
On Monday, an airport official confirmed that the jet is 'confirmed to be airworthy' and scheduled for departure.
Speculation had earlier swirled in India that if repairs proved unsuccessful, the aircraft might have to be partially dismantled and flown out on a cargo plane. British officials had played down those concerns.
Earlier, British officials also denied that they had any concerns about espionage and expressed gratitude to their Indian counterparts for safeguarding the jet.
The F-35B Lightning, developed by US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, ranks among the most sophisticated fighter jets in the arsenals of Nato members and a handful of trusted allies. Equipped with cutting-edge sensors, mission systems, and stealth capabilities, the aircraft is designed to carry out operations in hostile airspace while remaining virtually invisible to enemy detection.
Once the jet is finally flown out the MoD could be handed a hefty bill for its stay in India. Airport sources told The Times of India that the operator of Thiruvananthapuram International airport – Adani Airport Holdings Limited (or AAHL), a subsidiary of the Adani Group – is considering levying standard parking and hangar charges for the extended stay of the British jet.
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