UK jet, world's most expensive, grounded in India for 48hrs
What's the story
A Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet from the United Kingdom has been grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport for over 48 hours after making an emergency landing on Sunday morning due to low fuel.
The incident occurred after the aircraft's routine sortie with the UK's HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group, which recently held joint exercises with the Indian Navy and is currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific region.
Grounding details
Jet parked at isolated bay
The F-35B fighter jet has been parked at an isolated bay near the domestic terminal of Thiruvananthapuram airport.
NDTV sources suggest a suspected mechanical failure is preventing the aircraft from returning to the HMS Prince of Wales.
A four-member crew deployed by the Royal Navy has been attending to the aircraft.
Emergency landing
Initial reports said low fuel
The Hindu, on the other hand, reported that the reason for the emergency landing was initially attributed to low fuel, as the fighter jet could not land on the UK aircraft carrier due to bad weather in the Arabian Sea.
However, sources later revealed that the jet had developed a technical glitch.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) called the diversion a "normal occurrence" and said it was providing assistance to the aircraft.
Crew changes
Pilot's duty time ends
The pilot of the jet is being replaced by the Royal Navy as his duty time ends. However, the pilot was reportedly unwilling to stay away from the aircraft.
Consequently, airport authorities arranged a facility for him at the airside of the airport so that he could keep an eye on the aircraft throughout the day.
Recovery issues
Why jet could not land on HMS Prince of Wales
It's rare for a foreign fighter jet to be grounded for 48 hours.
This is especially true since the F-35 is the most expensive aircraft program and the largest 5th-generation stealth fighter in terms of operating numbers.
The F-35B, one of three variants of the F-35, is a short take-off and vertical landing variant, enabling it to operate from aircraft carriers without catapult systems.
F-35
US may supply India with F-35 fighters
Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II is a family of 5th-generation, single-engine stealth multirole combat aircraft in three main variants.
The fighter jets are known for their radar-evading capabilities and sensor fusion technology.
In June, US President Donald Trump had said that the US was "paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters," during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.