The British Royal Navy’s F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, which had been stranded in Kerala for five weeks after making an emergency landing on June 14, flew out of the Thiruvananthapuram international airport at 10.50 a.m. on Tuesday.The single-pilot manned jet, according to sources, is heading to its destination in Australia.
Renowned for its short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, the fifth-generation fighter — part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group — was returning from joint maritime exercises with the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pacific when it was forced to land in Kerala’s capital city on June 14.
The snag was identified in its hydraulic systems.
Soon after it was grounded, a team of engineers landed here, but could not rectify the snag. Then the British officials decided to fly out a special team of top aviation engineers from the US and the UK, who arrived early this month.