Time for UK F-35 fighter jet to go home? Aircraft to be dismantled, airlifted to UK, says report

The F-35B Lightning jet of Britain's Royal Navy, which continues to be stranded in Kerala after making an emergency landing nearly three weeks ago, will be dismantled and airlifted to the UK.

 

According to a CNN-News18 report, government sources revealed that the aircraft cannot be repaired on-site and needs to be dismantled. The report, however, did not specify which parts of F-35, touted to be the world's most advanced aircraft, need to be dismantled.

 

An NDTV report said the stranded fighter jet, which is said to have faced a glitch in its hydraulic system, will be airlifted on a C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft. 

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The fighter jet, worth over $110 million, made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14.

 

The aircraft is part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group of the UK's Royal Navy. The UK had accepted an offer to move the aircraft to the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport.

 

A few days ago, UK Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard had said, "We continue to work with our Indian friends who provided first-class support when the F-35B was unable to return to the Prince of Wales when on a flight mission," while responding to question on the measures taken to protect the aircraft while it is stranded in India.

Defence