SOURCE: AFI
A British Royal Navy F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, which made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala on June 14, 2025, remains grounded over five days later due to suspected engine damage caused by fuel starvation.
According to sources cited by idrw.org, the fifth-generation stealth aircraft, operating from the HMS Prince of Wales, landed “literally running on fumes,” potentially damaging critical engine components. The jet, stationed in Bay No. 4 of the airport under tight security, faces ongoing repairs hampered by adverse weather and the complexity of its Pratt & Whitney F135 engine. This incident, following a joint India-UK naval exercise, highlights both the challenges of operating advanced fighters and the strength of bilateral defence cooperation.
The F-35B, piloted by Captain Mike, was conducting routine operations 100 nautical miles off Kerala’s coast as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG25) when it encountered critically low fuel levels on June 14, 2025. The aircraft, unable to land on the HMS Prince of Wales due to deteriorating sea conditions and heavy monsoon weather, issued a SQUAWK 7700 distress code around 9:20 p.m. and requested emergency landing clearance from Thiruvananthapuram’s air traffic control (ATC). Guided by the Indian Air Force’s Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS), the jet landed safely at 9:30 p.m. in Bay No. 4, a secluded area of the airport.
Initial reports attributed the landing to low fuel, exacerbated by multiple failed attempts to land on the carrier due to rough seas. However, fresh updates from idrw.org reveal that the aircraft was operating on minimal fuel reserves, or “fumes,” during its final approach, causing the engine to run without adequate fuel flow. This fuel starvation likely stressed the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which powers the F-35B’s Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) capabilities through a Rolls-Royce Lift System. Sources suggest that running the engine under such conditions may have damaged components like the turbine blades, fuel pumps, or auxiliary systems, rendering the jet unflightworthy.
On June 15, a Royal Navy AW101 Merlin helicopter delivered a replacement pilot, identified as “Freddie,” and a three-member technical team to assess the aircraft. Six additional technicians arrived between June 15 and 16 but returned to the HMS Prince of Wales by June 17, leaving Freddie and three technicians in Kerala. The team, stationed at the airport’s emergency medical center to maintain visual oversight of the jet as per British requests, is working to diagnose and repair the engine. However, heavy monsoon winds and rain, with Thiruvananthapuram under an orange alert, have complicated efforts, exposing the jet to the elements in Bay No. 4.
India offered to relocate the F-35B to a hangar at Air India Section for repairs, but the Royal Navy declined, citing security concerns over the jet’s sensitive technology, including its stealth coatings and sensor fusion systems. The Indian Air Force (IAF) also proposed a temporary shed, but the jet remains in the open, guarded by an armed Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) unit.
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