British F-35 fighter jet makes emergency landing at Indian airport

KERALA: Late on Saturday night, a British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet made an emergency landing at an Indian airport. According to Indian media, the landing was necessitated due to fuel shortage.

The jet landed at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala, while it started running low fuel while on a sortie over the Indian Ocean. The said jet is of the 5th-generation stealth fighter make, and is part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group.

The group had recently completed joint maritime exercises with the Indian Navy, and is currently operating in the Indo-Pacific, Indian media reported.

The incident has been described as unusual, but it is not the first time such an emergency landing has taken place. This particular jet is specifically designed for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL), which was further complicated by the poor weather conditions which made it difficult for it to land safely on the carrier.

So far no official statement about the incident has been issued by the UK Ministry of Defence.

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