UK engineering team arrives in Kerala to repair stranded F-35 jet

The British Royal Navy combatant pitchy has been moved to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul installation of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport

A CISF unit stands defender adjacent the British F-35 combatant pitchy astatine the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport connected June 14, 2025. @CISFHQrs via PTI

After remaining stranded present for astir a period pursuing a method issue, a British Royal Navy combatant pitchy was connected Sunday moved to a designated installation for British engineers to measure it, airdrome sources present said.

An engineering squad from the UK arrived astatine the planetary airdrome present connected Sunday to measure and repair the British Royal Navy F-35B Lightning combatant pitchy which made an exigency landing astatine the airdrome astir a period ago.

A British High Commission spokesperson confirmed the accomplishment of the engineering squad astatine the airport.

“A UK engineering squad has deployed to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to measure and repair the UK F-35B aircraft, which landed pursuing an exigency diversion,” the spokesperson said successful a statement.

It further said that the UK has accepted the connection of a abstraction successful the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) installation of the airport, and are successful discussions to finalise arrangements with applicable authorities.

“In enactment with modular procedure, the craft volition beryllium moved pursuing the accomplishment of UK engineers, who are carrying specializer instrumentality indispensable for the question and repair process,” it said.

Meanwhile, airdrome sources said the combatant pitchy was moved to the MRO.

“The UK remains precise grateful for the continued enactment and collaboration of the Indian authorities and airdrome teams,” the British High Commission connection added.

The jet, worthy implicit USD 110 cardinal and known to beryllium 1 of the astir precocious combatant craft successful the world, made an exigency landing astatine the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport connected 14 June.

It remained grounded astatine the airdrome since then, awaiting repairs aft processing a method fault.