Latest news with #C-17Globemaster
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
UK's F-35B Jet Moved To Hangar In Kerala After 3 Weeks; Airlift Option Being StudiedF-35 JET
The UK Royal Navy's F-35B stealth fighter jet, stranded in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram airport for three weeks due to a malfunction, has been towed to a hangar for further assessment. A fresh team of engineers from the UK arrived on an Airbus A400M Atlas to decide whether the jet can be fixed locally or dismantled for return via a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft. The $110 million jet features highly classified stealth technology and requires strict security protocols during any handling. Watch#f35b #stealthjet #ukinindia #keralaairport #thiruvananthapuram #royalnavy #fighterjet #airliftoperation #militarytech #f35malfunction Read More
NDTV
19 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
British F-35 Fighter Jet, Stranded In Kerala Airport For Weeks, Being Towed
New Delhi: The Royal Navy's F-35B stealth fighter jet which has been parked on the tarmac in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram airport for three weeks has been towed to a hangar. British technicians have been trying to repair the malfunction in the jet all this while. They are considering taking the F-35B home in a C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft. A fresh team of engineers arrived in an Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft. The engineers will check whether it can be repaired locally or will have to be dismantled to fit inside a cargo aircraft for the journey home. The F-35B fighter jet is valued at over $110 million, and is the most expensive fighter jet in terms of development cost. Engineers from HMS Prince of Wales initially assessed the situation and determined that additional technical expertise and equipment from the UK were required. The first ever F-35 wing removal and shipment via air transport took place in May 2019. An F-35 Lightning II was airlifted by a C-17 Globemaster at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The $200,000 four-year project culminated in the transport of the aircraft to Hill AFB, Utah, according to information on Eglin AFB's official website. The stealth fighter jet with classified technology has to be monitored closely by the British military while it is being dismantled. Every move has to be logged and verified; every screw has to be security-coded to minimise the risk of data breach. Theft of stealth technologies could reveal combat secrets, and poses a threat with diplomatic and military consequences. Protecting stealth tech is critical for national defence integrity.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
British specialists arrive on A400M to to inspect Royal Navy's stranded F-35B fighter jet at Thiruvananthapuram airport
A team of technical experts on board the British Royal Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas arrived at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to assess a British Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet that made an emergency landing at the airport on June 14. After remaining grounded for over two weeks due to technical faults, the aircraft will now be dismantled and transported back to the United Kingdom aboard a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft. Emergency landing triggered by weather and fuel shortage The F-35B was returning to the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales when it encountered adverse weather conditions and a critical fuel shortage. The pilot issued an emergency transponder code, SQUAWK 7700, before being directed by the Indian Air Force to land at Bay 4 of Trivandrum airport, typically reserved for VIP aircraft. The Indian Air Force later confirmed the emergency was caused by fuel exhaustion following several unsuccessful landing attempts at sea. Hydraulic failure leaves jet stranded Since landing, the aircraft has been grounded due to a suspected hydraulic system fault. An initial team of Royal Navy engineers was unable to resolve the issue, prompting the deployment of a larger 40-member technical team from the UK, supported by specialists from the United States. A spokesperson for the British High Commission said, 'Efforts are underway to restore the aircraft as quickly as possible,' while thanking Indian authorities for their cooperation. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. — ANI (@ANI) by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More Undo Indian support declined over security concerns Indian Air Force officials offered to relocate the jet to one of their Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) centres, and Air India offered hangar space to protect the aircraft from monsoon rains. Both offers were declined by British officials, reportedly due to concerns over exposing the F-35B's sensitive stealth technology. As a result, the aircraft remains parked on the open tarmac at the civilian airport. UK may face parking charges With the aircraft grounded for more than two weeks, airport authorities at Thiruvananthapuram have stated that the UK may be liable for parking fees. A final decision is expected from the Union government. A government official told the Times of India, 'Given the aircraft's military status and foreign origin, the dues may be routed through central agencies.' First such incident for UK's F-35B fleet This is reportedly the first time a British F-35B has been stranded in a foreign country. The fighter jet, part of the UK's Carrier Strike Group, was participating in joint naval exercises with India. Manufactured by U.S. defence contractor Lockheed Martin , the F-35B is equipped for short take-offs and vertical landings and is a key component of NATO's airpower strategy. The overall F-35 program is estimated to cost more than $2 trillion over its lifetime. Online reactions to grounded stealth jet Images and videos of the grounded jet parked alongside commercial aircraft at a civilian airport have circulated widely on social media , drawing attention and humour. Memes featuring captions such as 'Stealth mode: disabled' and 'Parked like a VIP, grounded like a student' have gone viral, reflecting public interest in the unusual sight. Live Events Dismantling and return operation in progress As repair efforts have failed, British engineers are now preparing to dismantle the aircraft for transport. The operation will involve coordination with Indian airport authorities and defence officials to ensure safe repatriation. The situation highlights the logistical challenges and technological sensitivities of managing advanced military assets abroad.
News18
2 days ago
- General
- News18
25-Member UK Team To Assess Grounded F-35 Jet In Kerala Tomorrow
The fighter jet is currently parked at a bay in Thiruvananthapuram Airport and is being guarded by a six-member team from the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. A team of around 25 British aviation engineers is expected to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday to assess F-35B fighter jet of Britain's Royal Navy, weeks after the aircraft was grounded following an emergency landing at the airport. According to a report by Indian Today citing sources, the 25-member team would arrive in Kerala on Sunday, examine the fault in the parked aircraft and would decide if the fighter jet can be repaired in India or needs to be ferried back to the UK. The team was earlier scheduled to arrive in Kerala on July 2, however, the visit was postponed for unknown reasons, news agency PTI reported, citing sources. The fighter jet is currently parked at a bay in Thiruvananthapuram Airport and is being guarded by a six-member team from the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. India had offered to assist in repairing the F-35 of the British Royal Navy in the closest MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) facility. A spokesperson from the British High Commission said the plane is waiting for repairs. The UK has agreed to move the jet to the airport's MRO facility. The F-35B jet, owned by Britain's Royal Navy, might need to be dismantled for transport or flown out in one piece using a large special aircraft like the C-17 Globemaster. The jet, worth over $110 million, is one of the most advanced fighter planes in the world. The aircraft was conducting operations 100 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala when it made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14 due to a technical problem. The Indian Air Force extended all possible support for rectifying the issue and ensuring its return. However, when the fighter jet was preparing to return to its carrier, a hydraulic failure was detected during pre-departure checks. A small Royal Navy team attempted to repair the malfunction but was unsuccessful. The aircraft is parked at Bay 4 of Thiruvananthapuram airport under Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) protection since then. The F-35B is the only fifth-generation fighter jet with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, making it suitable for small decks, austere bases, and ships. First Published:
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
How UK's F-35 fighter jet, grounded in Kerala for 20 days, will be dismantled
The British F-35B jet has been grounded in Kerala since June 14, the day it made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) secures the Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet after its emergency landing, at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport(CISF - X) As efforts to repair the aircraft have not worked so far, the jet will reportedly be dismantled and taken aboard a special transport plane, like the C-17 Globemaster. However, transporting the fifth-generation stealth jet to the United Kingdom would not be a cakewalk. Why the challenge? The C-17 Globemaster is a large military transport aircraft used by the US, the United Kingdom, India and other countries. The aircraft has a cargo bay size big enough to carry multiple troops and can even carry AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. However, it would still be tricky to dismantle the F-35B jet and fit it into the C-17 Globemaster. According to an India Today Digital report, the F-35B jet will have to lose its wings in order to fit into the cargo plane. "The C-17's cargo hold is 26 metres long, but its width is just 4 metres, which means an F-35 cannot be loaded unless the wings are detached," the publication quoted a defence expert as saying. This is not the first time the cargo plane would be transporting a F-35 jet. In 2019, a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet was successfully airlifted from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to Hill Air Force Base in Utah, according to the Eglin base website. Data breach risks The F-35B jet is worth over $110 million and is known to be one of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world. Hence, there are data breach risks attached with dismantling such a jet. According to an NDTV report, every screw on the jet will have to be secured with unique codes during the dismantling in order to reduce the risk of a theft of stealth technology. The dismantling can only be carried out by engineers certified by aerospace and defense contractor Lockheed Martin, the publication further said. The British military will closely oversee the dismantling to safeguard the stealth systems. A data breach in this case could expose sensitive combat capabilities. What next for the F-35 jet? The F-35B, which belongs to Britain's Royal Navy, made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram on June 14, and is reportedly being guarded by a six-member team from the HMS Prince of Wales. Even with plans of dismantling, the jet would still need some repairs before it could be transported. For this purpose, a 40-member team of aviation engineers will arrive in Kerala on July 5.
