A team of British engineers has arrived in southern India to carry out repairs on a F-35B stealth fighter jet from the Royal Air Force, which remains grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the state of Kerala.
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The aircraft made an unscheduled emergency landing at the site several weeks ago after experiencing technical issues during a transit flight through the region.
According to the British High Commission, “A UK engineering team has been deployed to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to assess and repair the UK F-35B aircraft.”
The maintenance operation marks the first known emergency diversion of an F-35B to India.
Initially kept outdoors, the jet has recently been moved into a hangar within the airport’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility after the UK accepted an offer from Indian authorities to use the space. Specialized technical equipment was brought in with the team to facilitate the repair process.
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“We are grateful for the continued support and cooperation of the Indian authorities,” the UK defence team in India stated on social media. “Repairs are underway on the aircraft, which has now been moved into the maintenance hangar.”
The British government also publicly expressed its appreciation to the staff of Thiruvananthapuram Airport for their assistance during the aircraft’s relocation and technical support process.
However, no timeline has been provided for the completion of the repairs, and it remains unclear when the F-35B will be able to return to service.
Source and images: UK Defence Journal | X @UKDefenceIndia. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
