Even as the F-35B fighter jet of the United Kingdom government remained grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport for over a week, there is no clarity on when the fighter jet will depart or when its “technical glitches” will be fixed.
Interestingly, all the details of the fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, including the circumstances that led to the emergency landing, its prolonged stay in Thiruvananthapuram, and the nature of glitches it arguably developed during emergency landing, are protected and not disclosed by any of the agencies.
Interestingly, the Indian Air Force (IAF), which facilitated the emergency landing of the aircraft for flight safety reasons and has been providing all necessary support for the rectification and subsequent return of the aircraft, has been maintaining that the combat jet was of the Royal Navy.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which provided the security cover for the jet soon after the emergency landing, was terming it a Royal Navy fighter jet.
However, it turns out that the fighter belongs to the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom, not the Royal Navy. It had to seek an emergency landing due to adverse weather conditions over the Arabian Sea. Work is under way to repair and recover the aircraft to HMS Prince of Wales (the aircraft carrier of the U.K. deployed in the Indian Ocean), with the support of the Indian authorities.
