U.K. F-35B fighter jet to be shifted to hangar facility of Thiruvananthapuram airport
According to a statement issued by the British High Commission spokesperson on Friday, the U.K. F-35B aircraft is awaiting repairs at the airport after developing an engineering issue.
The U.K. has now accepted an offer to move the aircraft to the MRO facility. The aircraft will be moved to the hangar once the U.K. engineering teams arrive with specialist equipment, thereby ensuring there is minimal disruption to scheduled maintenance of other aircrafts.
Ground team
'The aircraft will return to active service once the repairs and safety checks have been completed. Ground teams continue to work closely with Indian authorities to ensure that safety and security precautions are observed,' the spokesperson said while thanking the Indian authorities and Thiruvananthapuram International Airport for their continued support.
The F-35B aircraft was unable to return to the HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier due to adverse weather conditions prevailing in the region on the night of June 14. The emergency landing of the combat jet due to adverse weather conditions had generated intense media interest and speculation.
A decisive force multiplier, the multi-role combat aircraft is billed as the most advanced and connected fighter jet in the world. It is also a capable stealth aircraft that can fly undetected through contested airspace.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Rain warnings prompt push for staggered timings in Hyderabad's tech hub
With heavy rain alerts in place for Telangana this week, the Cyberabad traffic police are focusing on the IT corridor to ease congestion and ensure quick emergency response during downpours. Measures under consideration include issuing a work-from-home advisory and pressing companies in the tech hub to adopt staggered logout timings to keep key routes clear for commuters and emergency vehicles. Intense to very intense convection in Bay of Bengal near coastal AP likely to cause very heavy rainfall during Aug 13-16 in #Hyderabad & #Telangana - still developing Offices esp west Hyderabad may like to stagger timings to avoid peak hour traffic & resultant jams (Aug 13-14) — Arvind Kumar (@arvindkumar_ias) August 10, 2025 While advisories have been issued in the past, officials say the real challenge lies in corporate compliance. 'Unless the situation really demands, we don't issue an advisory. Sometimes it's late at night or early morning, based on forecasts. But many companies do not always follow it because of their own schedules and cycles,' said Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty. A situation report is first prepared and, if conditions warrant, the Cyberabad Commissioner issues it as an advisory to convey urgency, given how quickly weather can change in the city. The lack of adherence, however, often leaves employees and commuters stranded on flooded roads and flyovers. 'Last Thursday (August 7), we advised early logouts by 3.30 p.m. as heavy rain was expected. The Society for Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC) relayed the message, but by midnight we were still struggling to clear routes and rescue stranded commuters,' said SCSC CEO Naved Khan. Mr. Khan explained that the IT corridor hosts two main types of companies — product firms mostly operating on Indian business hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and service providers working for international clients, particularly U.S. markets, with shifts typically starting at 2 p.m. and ending around 11 p.m. The former, he said, are the main contributors to peak-hour congestion. 'To ease gridlock, we are suggesting staggered start and end times by 15–30 minutes for both shifts,' Mr. Khan noted. 'We also recommend unified transport options for employees heading to the same destinations.' Police estimate staggered logouts currently reduce traffic by only 10–15% as compliance remains patchy. 'In a recent video call with CEOs, we proposed area-wise logout schedules for the IT corridor to spread traffic during rain. Companies declined, saying they would handle their own timings, but on the ground, that's not happening effectively,' Mr. Mohanty said. Senior IAS officer Arvind Kumar also flagged the weather threat, posting on X about weather systems forming over the Bay of Bengal that could bring 'very heavy rainfall' between August 13 and 16, urging offices in west Hyderabad to stagger timings on August 13 and 14 to avoid jams. Yet, many IT employees told The Hindu they had received no such instructions from their employers. An employee from a consultation sales company in Nanakramguda said his company had denied work-from-home options for the quarter and had not announced staggered timings, meaning everyone leaves at the same time. Another employee from Knowledge City, working in hybrid mode, said their schedule had remained unchanged despite the weather warnings. Even hybrid work patterns, officials point out, have created bottlenecks, as most employees choose to come in on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, creating three consecutive peak traffic days. 'If those days can be staggered from a load distribution perspective, it would help significantly,' Mr. Naved said. For now, the police say they will keep issuing advisories, but without stronger cooperation from IT companies, Hyderabad's tech hub may continue to face the same monsoon-time gridlocks year after year.
News18
7 hours ago
- News18
'Mission Mausam': In Bid To Boost Weather Forecasting, IMD Floats Global Tenders For 10 Wind Profilers
The IMD will set up the wind profilers in 10 locations – Amritsar, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, Mohanbari, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, and Thiruvananthapuram Building on its 'Mission Mausam' to sharpen weather forecasts, the IMD has floated a global tender to procure, install and commission 10 wind profiler systems at multiple sites across India. Wind profilers are like advanced doppler radars that provide the deepest coverage of the atmosphere, collecting data on wind speed, direction, and conditions at various levels above the ground. Each system is expected to last for at least 10 years. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has identified 10 locations for the installation – Amritsar, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, Mohanbari (Assam), Bhubaneswar, Calicut, and Thiruvananthapuram spanning the length and breadth of the country. Once installed, these wind profilers will significantly boost India's atmospheric observation network, improving weather forecasting and climate monitoring capabilities nationwide. The data will also be useful for airline planning and detection of turbulence during flight. These typically work by transmitting electromagnetic waves along the device's antenna systems. In its pre-bid security requirements, the tender document – accessed by News18, mandates pre-dispatch inspections, adherence to technical specifications, and compliance with the Centre's 'Make in India' policy. While the deal is open to both Indian and foreign manufacturers, preference will be given to local suppliers, micro and small enterprises as well as startups. A pre-bid conference will be held at the IMD headquarters in New Delhi, with bid submissions to be made exclusively via the government's e-procurement portals. WHAT IS THE RS 2,000-CRORE 'MISSION MAUSAM'? Last September, the central government launched the Rs 2,000 crore 'Mission Mausam' to make India 'weather ready' and 'climate smart' in wake of increasing extreme events, which have made tropical weather far more erratic and harder to predict. As part of the project, the IMD also outlined plans to add vertical wind profiles and radiometers at 15 locations, as well as increase the number of radiosondes from the existing 54. These instruments provide day and night data for wind direction, temperature, and humidity up to an altitude of 12 km, every 15 minutes. According to IMD director-general Dr Mrityunjay Mohapatra, the mission will improve weather forecasting in cities and have better spatial resolution than the existing 12 km. 'This will also enable IMD to issue Nowcast warnings for rains an hour in advance – up from three hours at present," Mohapatra said. Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: News india 'Mission Mausam': In Bid To Boost Weather Forecasting, IMD Floats Global Tenders For 10 Wind Profilers Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Goa experiences weak monsoon, dry start to Aug
Panaji: The southwest monsoon faltered in Goa during the first ten days of Aug 2025, with rainfall far below seasonal expectations and most of the state's 13 rain gauge stations recording only scant precipitation. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'This has been one of the driest starts to Aug so far,' said M R Ramesh Kumar, meteorologist and retired scientist of the National Institute of Oceanography. 'There is a 10% deficit for Goa compared to a 1% deficit for the entire Indian subcontinent. This doesn't augur well for Goa as the peak monsoon months of July and Aug contribute about 61% of the seasonal total,' he said. 'We have only 21 days of Aug left, with no convective systems forming over the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal.' Kumar attributed the weak monsoon to several unfavourable meteorological factors, including weak low-level jet streams — with wind speeds as low as 10 knots — limiting the moisture transported from the surrounding seas. Additionally, dry northwesterly winds from the arid regions of Saudi Arabia and Africa dominated the lower atmosphere up to 2,500 metres, further suppressing the moisture inflow. 'The monsoon trough and the offshore trough have not been positioned favourably, and no depressions have formed in the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal this month,' Kumar said. 'These conditions have collectively hindered the development of active monsoon phases over Goa.' Seasonal totals remain uneven, with Dharbandora receiving the most at 2,795.4mm, and Mormugao trailing with only 1,385.7mm. So far, the state has recorded a total of 2,054.2mm (81 inches) of seasonal total rainfall since June 1. With the state still in the peak monsoon window, Kumar cautioned that a continued shortfall could stress water resources and disrupt crop cycles, particularly for paddy farmers dependent on consistent rainfall. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The (IMD) issued a yellow alert for Goa from Aug 14 to 16, warning of heavy rainfall at isolated places and light to moderate rainfall very likely across the state. The IMD also warned of squally weather with wind speed reaching 40-50kmph gusting to 60kmph along and off the south Maharashtra-Goa coast on Aug 13 and 14. Fisherfolk have been advised not to venture into that area during this period.
