SOURCE: UNI
A British Royal Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas military transport aircraft landed here with a 17-member engineering team to assess and repair the British fighter F-35B, which made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of June 14.
The UK has accepted the offer of space at the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility and is in discussions with the relevant authorities to finalise the arrangements, sources said. In line with standard procedure, the aircraft will be moved following the arrival of UK engineers, who have brought specialist equipment necessary for the movement and repair process, the sources added.
The UK remains deeply grateful for the continued support and cooperation of Indian authorities and airport teams, it said. The engineers arrived aboard the Atlas aircraft ZM417 at 12.45 pm. While the aircraft is scheduled to return today, the engineers will remain here.
According to various reports, if the repair attempts are unsuccessful, the fighter jet will be dismantled and transported in a military cargo aircraft. Initially, the aircraft will be moved to the Air India hangar at Chakkai, Thiruvananthapuram, where efforts will be made to fix the issue. If those efforts fail, the wings of the F-35B will be detached, and the jet will be flown back to the UK.
Though the emergency landing was initially reported to be for refuelling, the aircraft remains parked at the bay, with officials stating that efforts are underway to address a hydraulic failure. Earlier, a technical team from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales attempted to resolve the issue but was unsuccessful.
The F-35B Lightning is a stealth aircraft that operates alongside the Typhoon. A multi-role fighter, the Lightning is capable of conducting air-to-surface, electronic warfare, intelligence gathering, and air-to-air missions simultaneously.
Equipped with advanced sensors, mission systems, and low-observable (stealth) technology, the Lightning can operate undetected in hostile environments. It is a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft capable of operating from aircraft carriers and in austere environments