A state-of-the-art British fighter jet stuck at an airport in India for nearly three weeks now has sparked curiosity and raised questions about how such a modern aircraft could get stranded for days in a foreign country.
The F-35B landed at Thiruvananthapuram airport in the southern state of Kerala on 14 June.
The aircraft was diverted there after it ran into bad weather during a sortie in the Indian ocean and was unable to return to HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy’s flagship carrier.
It landed safely but it has since developed a technical snag and is unable to return to the carrier.
Since the jet’s landing, engineers from HMS Prince of Wales have assessed the aircraft, but the visiting teams have been unable to fix it so far.
On Thursday, the British High Commission said in a statement to the BBC: “The aircraft was moved to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility at the airport and will be moved to the hangar once UK engineering teams arrive with specialist equipment.”
“The aircraft will return to active service once repairs and safety checks have been completed,” it added. “Ground teams continue to work closely with Indian authorities to ensure safety and security precautions are observed.”
Authorities at Thiruvananthapuram airport told the BBC they were expecting technicians from the UK to arrive on Friday.
The $110m (£80m) jet is being guarded around the clock by six officers from the RAF.
Dr Sameer Patil, director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation in Mumbai, told the BBC the Royal Navy had only two options: “They can repair it and make it fly-worthy or they can fly it out in a bigger cargo place such as a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft.”
The case of the stranded jet has also been raised in the House of Commons.
On Monday, opposition Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty asked the government to clarify what was being done to secure it and return it to operational service, the UK Defence Journal,
“What steps are the government taking to recover the plane, how much longer will that take, and how will the government ensure the security of protected technologies on the jet while it is in the hangar and out of view?” he was quoted as saying.
The British armed forces minister, Luke Pollard, confirmed the aircraft remained under close UK control.
“We continue to work with our Indian friends who provided first-class support when the F-35B was unable to return to the carrier,” he said. “I am certain that the security of the jet is in good hands because Royal Air Force crew are with it at all times.”
