Stranded For 22 Days, British F-35 Fighter Jet Finally Moved Into Hangar In Kerala
A British F-35 stealth fighter jet, which has been stranded at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport for 22 days after making an emergency landing last month, was finally moved into a hangar on Sunday to allow for complex repair work to begin.
A large Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft, carrying a team of British technical experts and specialized equipment, landed at the airport on Sunday to address the serious hydraulic failure that has grounded the advanced fifth-generation fighter.
Video from the airport showed the F-35 being towed from its parking bay on the tarmac into a hangar, shielded from Kerala’s heavy monsoon rains.
The fighter jet, operating from the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier, was forced to make an emergency landing at the civilian airport on June 14. The jet was conducting operations 100 nautical miles off the coast when it was diverted due to adverse weather and a low fuel situation.
The Indian Air Force had initially facilitated the safe landing and provided logistical support. However, during pre-departure checks for its return to the aircraft carrier, a critical hydraulic failure was detected, grounding the aircraft indefinitely. A small Royal Navy team already in India was unable to fix the complex issue.
For over three weeks, the sophisticated warplane was parked at Bay 4 of the airport under the protection of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). While the British Royal Navy had initially declined an offer from Air India to move the jet into a hangar, they later agreed as the wait for the repair team and equipment extended. The arrival of the A400M signals the start of what is expected to be a detailed and technical repair process before the fighter can be cleared to fly again.
