Thiruvananthapuram: The Royal Navy F-35B Lightning-II stealth fighter jet, stranded at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala since June 14, has finally been repaired and is likely to fly back home on Tuesday.
According to officials, the aircraft was brought out from the hangar and towed to the bay area on Monday, after it received clearance to fly from technical experts who arrived from the UK to repair it. The exact time of departure has not been announced as yet.
The fighter jet, operating out of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, failed to land back after a routine sortie due to extremely bad weather in the Arabian Sea. The pilot declared an emergency after fuel started running low. The Indian Air Force then guided the fighter jet to Thiruvananthapuram,
The aircraft was refuelled on June 15, but even as the pilot was preparing to take-off, he discovered a snag in the hydraulic system. The take-off was aborted and a team of technicians arrived by helicopter from the aircraft carrier.
Despite their best efforts, the F-35B could not be repaired. It remained stranded out in the open for the next three weeks, with the British turning down offers to shift it to a hangar.
Finally, a larger team of technical experts landed at Thiruvananthapuram from the UK with special equipment and spares. The fighter jet was towed into an Air India hangar with facilities for repairs and maintenance of aircraft on July 6. After working on the aircraft for several days, the experts announced that repairs have been completed.
Apart from landing charges and fuel cost, there will be a daily rent and a parking fee for the aircraft, an official said.
India’s Ministry of Defence has facilitated swift permissions and logistical support during the aircraft’s stay in the country. “The UK remains very grateful for the continued support and collaboration of Indian authorities and airport teams,” the British High Commission noted.
The 5th Generation fighter will certainly be missed after it leaves. Over the last five-odd weeks, it was the source of memes and other humorous content on social media. One user had even created a fake OLX page and offered to sell the US$ 110 million jet for US$ 10 million. Kerala’s tourism department also used an AI-generated image of the aircraft for promotion.