A British Royal Navy F-35B fighter aircraft that performed an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on June 14 has been shifted to a maintenance hangar for repair, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced. It has been more than two weeks since the accident occurred, but now British engineers have started restoration work on the state-of-the-art stealth aircraft.
The UK MoD confirmed this development in a statement, “UPDATE: UK engineers have flown into India to begin work on repairing the UK F-35 B aircraft. Repair of the aircraft is in progress, with the aircraft now in the hangar for maintenance. We appreciate the ongoing cooperation and support of the Indian authorities.”
Extreme weather conditions over the Indian Ocean forced the fifth-generation jet fighter to make an emergency landing during a routine mission. The aircraft attempted to return to its base on HMS Prince of Wales, but failed while the carrier was deployed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) during the incident.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Stranded F-35B British fighter jet being moved to the hangar from its grounded position.
A team of technical experts on board the British Royal Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to assess the… pic.twitter.com/bL9pGrJzIs
— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2025
Indian Support Integral in Emergency Recovery of F-35B
After the accident, the Indian Air Force (IAF) identified Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as a designated recovery field for such situations. The IAF tweeted on X, “A Royal Navy F-35B jet landed safely back after an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport during the night of 14 June 25. Fleeting from UK Aircraft Carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, it was conducting normal flying beyond Indian ADIZ with Thiruvananthapuram as the planned emergency recovery airfield.”
The IAF further added, “After having declared a diversion off an emergency, the F-35 B was picked up and identified by the IAF’s IACCS network and cleared for the recovery. IAF is extending all support required for the rectification and subsequent return of the aircraft.”
British Team Flies in with Specialised Equipment
Following initial repair attempts by HMS Prince of Wales engineers, who were unsuccessful due to a problem in the hydraulic system, the UK sent a 25-strong technical team on an RAF Airbus A400M Atlas military plane. The team had specialized equipment to help with the restoration.
#WATCH | Kerala | British Royal Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas takes off from Thiruvananthapuram, leaving behind a team of technical experts at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to assess the F-35 fighter jet.
The F-35 jet had made an emergency landing at the… pic.twitter.com/dvsFhT4LMd
— ANI (@ANI) July 6, 2025
They moved the plane to the Air India Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facility upon arrival. Previously, the UK government had stated, The UK has taken up the invitation for a slot in the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, and is negotiating to settle arrangements with appropriate authorities. By normal procedure, the aircraft will be relocated after arrival in the country of UK engineers who are bringing specialist equipment required for the relocation and repair procedure.”
Public Attention and Security Measures
The Lockheed Martin-built F-35B has attracted widespread attention in Kerala, inspiring quirky local marketing campaigns. The jet remains under round-the-clock surveillance by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and British security teams.
The British High Commission expressed gratitude, “We are working to repair the UK F-35B at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as quickly as possible. We thank the Indian Authorities for their continued support.”
If repairs at the scene do not work, officials can dismantle the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)-capable aircraft and transport it back to the UK on a military plane.
