Updated 21 July 2025 at 13:40 IST
British Royal Navy F-35, Stranded In India For Over A Month, Set To Fly Back To UK
British Royal Navy F-35, which is stranded in India since June 14, will fly back to United Kingdom tomorrow, said official sources.
The British Royal Navy’s F-35B fighter jet, which has been stranded in Kerala since June 14, is ready to fly again.
The first visuals of the aircraft being brought out of the hanger have come out. It is all set to fly back to United Kingdom tomorrow. A trial test will be conducted prior to that. It is being brought out of the hanger for the trial test.
The aircraft has has remained grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport since June 14 after it was forced to make an emergency landing during joint exercises with the Indian Navy, due to low fuel and a severe hydraulic failure. Since then, multiple attempts by local ground teams to repair the jet on-site have been unsuccessful.
A team of 21 technical experts, including aviation engineers from the British Royal Air Force, arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on July 6 to assess and repair the grounded F-35B fighter jet.
The team was flown in aboard the Royal Air Force’s ZM417 aircraft, a type of Airbus A400M Atlas.
The fighter aircraft was moved to the hanger from its grounded position after being stranded there for 22 days. Officials said the relocation was carried out to minimise disruption to airport operations.
Published By : Ankita Paul
Published On: 21 July 2025 at 13:40 IST