Thiruvananthapuram: The Royal Navy F-35B Lightning II fighter jet that made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram airport late on Saturday evening has been refuelled and is ready for take-off. However, it will have to wait for weather conditions to improve sufficiently at sea for it to land on the HMS Prince of Wales.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has confirmed that the pilot of the fifth-generation stealth fighter sought permission to enter Indian airspace after running low on fuel. The IAF alerted the Thiruvananthapuram airport and guided the aircraft in for a landing. The F-35B landed normally at 10.30 pm and taken to an isolation bay.
The Indian Navy and the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group had conducted a joint naval exercise in the western Arabian Sea last week. The HMS Prince of Wales had approached the Indian coast as part of this. The aircraft carrier was in the international waters about 100 nautical miles off the Kerala coast during the exercise.
On Saturday, the F-35B took off from the aircraft carrier on a routine sortie. However, the weather had deteriorated by the time it returned to the ship. The aircraft carrier was pitching due to the heavy seas and there was no way the pilot could land. After circling the carrier a number of times, the pilot realised that he was running short of fuel. That is when he got in touch with the IAF as well as the Indian Navy.
“IAF officials reached the airport after the fighter jet landed and asked the pilot to accompany them to the terminal to complete the security procedures. However, the pilot seemed to be completely exhausted. He requested for a chair and rested for a long time next to his aircraft, before accompanying the IAF officials to the terminal.
The F-35B is a Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variant of the fighter jet developed by Lockheed Martin. With full tanks, it has a range of about 1,667 km. IAF officials believe that the pilot may have flown up to 1,500 km before landing at Thiruvananthapuram. Enough reason for him to be exhausted.
Permission to refuel the aircraft was granted after a request from the British High Commission. No damage or technical malfunction was detected on the aircraft.
