Seven days after a F-35B fighter jet of UK Navy made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on Saturday night due to ‘low fuel’, the aircraft still remains grounded at the airport. While the stealth jet was refuelled by Thiruvananthapuram Airport authorities, it didn’t take off, and then it was revealed that the jet was suffering from much more serious issues.
The jet, part of HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier group of the Royal Navy, declared emergency on Saturday night, and requested permission to land at Thiruvananthapuram airport, which was earmarked as the emergency recovery airfield. Notably, the British carrier group is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea, and recently took part in a joint drill with the Indian Navy.
What happened so far
The F-35B jet, the navy version of the F-35, landed at around 9:30 PM on Saturday, and at that time it was reported that it made emergency landing due to fuel shortage and bad weather. But 4 days later, it was reported that the jet was facing serious technical issues. As per reports, the jet was diverted to Kerala due to a suspected hydraulic system failure, not fuel shortage.
After the jet landed, a drama ensued at the airport, as the pilot Captain Mike refused to leave the spot. After completing mandatory customs and immigration procedures, he insisted on remaining near the plane, and sat on a chair provided by the airport authorities. He didn’t want to leave the advanced jet unattended. However, when a 2-men team of Royal Navy personnel arrived on the same night at around 11:15 PM, he moved into the airport terminal with the local authorities.
On Sunday morning, six Royal Navy technicians arrived to fix the jet. After checking, they confirmed that there is hydraulics failure. Another team of technicians were airlifted by a Royal Navy helicopter to begin repairs on Monday to repair the aircraft. The helicopter also brought a replacement pilot, and Mike later departed with the Royal British Navy helicopter.
Hydraulics failure, Engine Failure, Fuel Shortage
However, the issue could not be resolved by the technicians, and now it is being reported that the plane suffered engine failure. As per reports, the jet tried to land at the carrier due to bad weather, but could not and circled in the air for some time. It also dumped fuel to be able to land. But as the weather condition deteriorated, it ran out of fuel, declared emergency, and landed at Thiruvananthapuram airport. It has been speculated that as a result of landing with low fuel, the jet’s hydraulics and engine suffered damage.
The jet is parked at Bay 4 of the airport with special permission from central govt and Indian Air Force. At present, CISF personnel have been deployed to secure the plane.
Replacement pilot Freddy and three technicians are staying at the airport, and they have been accommodated at the emergency medical centre of the airport. They can observe the plane from that place. Six other technicians, who had arrived on Sunday and Monday, returned to HMS Prince of Wales by helicopter on Tuesday afternoon.
The airport authorities are providing them with food and other supplies. As per their request, a ground handling agency has also been provided for the plane.
Jet remains parked in open, Brits want to watch is constantly
As it is not certain when the jet will be airworthy, it may be shifted to a hanger adjacent to the airport. There is a hanger unit at the maintenance unit of Air India. However, at present it remains parked in the open, exposed to elements during the monsoon rains. CISF personnel continue to guard it.
A report by IDRW claims that Indian authorities offered to move the jet to a hanger, but the British personnel declined. Most probably, they refused to move the jet to hanger as doing so would mean they would not be able to maintain a watch over the jet constantly. At present, they can see the jet from their accommodation at the airport’s emergency medical centre.
As per reports, the jet’s departure has now been postponed indefinitely. Additional technical experts are expected to arrive from the UK to inspect and repair the aircraft. As the existing technicians could not fix it, it is being speculated that the jet now needs advanced tools and spares to repair, which will need to be brought from UK or US.
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II is a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the fifth-generation fighter, and a crucial part of Royal Navy. As the technology of F-35 remains a closely guarded secret, the jet will probably be repaired in a highly secure environment. Therefore, if and when the British Navy decides to do major repair of the jet in India, they may move it to a hanger, while keeping it under their watch.
Did India detect American stealth jet
After the jet’s landing, a tweet by Indian Air Force created euphoric speculation that India was able to detect the American stealth jet. However, that is not the case.
Indian Air Force said, “On having declared a diversion off an emergency, the F35B was detected and identified by the IAF’s IACCS network and cleared for the recovery.” This comment led many to believe that India was able to detect and identify the word’s most advanced stealth fighter jet. But the fact is, the F-35 had already declared emergency, which means it had switched off its stealth mode, so that it can be guided to land at the airport.
A Royal Navy F-35B fighter recovered off an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of 14 June 25.
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 15, 2025
Operating from UK Aircraft Carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, it was undertaking routine flying outside Indian ADIZ with Thiruvananthapuram
earmarked… pic.twitter.com/gL2CQcuJc7
During peacetime operation, stealth aircrafts switch on their transponders, and activate their Luneburg lenses, which reflect radar to deliberately increase the plane’s radar visibility. This is crucial in ensuring that friendly and civilian radar systems can identify and track them easily during non-combat operations.
