Another fault hits UK F-35B: Fighter jet forced to land in Japan amid ongoing drills
F-35B stealth fighter jet
was forced to land at Kagoshima Airport in south-western Japan on Sunday after a technical fault, according to Kyodo News. The incident happened at about 11.30 am local time, briefly shutting the runway for around 20 minutes. Several commercial flights were delayed, but no one was hurt.
The aircraft was flying from the Royal Navy carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which is in the Indo-Pacific as part of joint exercises with Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force and the US military. The drills began on 4 August and will continue until Tuesday.
HMS Prince of Wales
has been on deployment since April, visiting ports across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia.
Finance
Value and Valuation Masterclass Batch-1
By CA Himanshu Jain
View Program
Finance
Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 2
By CA Himanshu Jain
View Program
Finance
Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 3
By CA Himanshu Jain
View Program
Artificial Intelligence
AI For Business Professionals
By Vaibhav Sisinity
View Program
Finance
Value and Valuation Masterclass - Batch 4
By CA Himanshu Jain
View Program
Artificial Intelligence
AI For Business Professionals Batch 2
By Ansh Mehra
View Program
F-35B: A pattern of technical faults
This is the second incident involving a UK F-35B in less than two months. On 14 June, another jet from HMS Prince of Wales had to land at Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala after a hydraulic fault. That aircraft remained grounded for over five weeks before being cleared to fly back to the UK.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
AI now helps people speak languages fast
Talkpal AI
Undo
The British High Commission thanked India for its help during that episode. 'The UK remains very grateful for the support and collaboration of the Indian authorities and airport teams throughout the repair and recovery process,' a spokesperson said. 'We look forward to continuing to strengthen our defence partnership with India.'
Media reactions from China and Russia
The latest fault has drawn sharp commentary from state-run media in China and Russia. Russia's Sputnik India posted on X, 'British F-35 makes emergency landing... Again. Just weeks after one F-35 was stranded in India, another was forced into an emergency landing at Japan's Kagoshima Airport. Collecting emergency landings like souvenirs.'
Live Events
China's Global Times suggested the incidents 'underscored the F-35B's overly complex systems and highly demanding maintainability', adding that UK sailors 'could be struggling to deal with in far seas deployments.' Quoting Chinese aviation expert Wang Ya'nan, the paper said the F-35B is the most technically complex model in the F-35 family and faces 'significant maintenance challenges' during prolonged operations away from home bases.
The paper also claimed HMS Prince of Wales has faced 'technical issues' on its deployment despite its mission to showcase Britain's fast-jet capability. It noted the aircraft stranded in India became 'a subject of jokes and memes', questioning 'how such a modern aircraft could remain stuck in a foreign country for so long.' The commentary further argued that Britain's carrier missions follow 'the US' global strategy' and depend on 'US-made equipment', warning that London should 'reconsider its policy of accommodating US interests.'
Current status and next port call
Japanese reports say the jet involved in the Kagoshima landing is different from the one that was grounded in India. It is now under inspection, guarded by RAF personnel, and is expected to rejoin the carrier strike group once cleared. HMS Prince of Wales is scheduled to dock at Yokosuka on Tuesday before heading to Tokyo later in the month.
The F-35B, built by
Lockheed Martin
, is a fifth-generation stealth fighter capable of short take-offs and vertical landings. These features give it flexibility in carrier operations, but also mean it requires intensive maintenance, particularly on extended deployments far from support facilities.
(To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow
ET Trending
)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
24 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Rebuilding time over, Premier League begins
Mumbai: The last time Liverpool FC defended their domestic crown was in 1984, well before England's top-flight First Division Football League had been rebranded as the Premier League. The team from Merseyside now has the opportunity of ending that 41-year wait for back-to-back league titles, as the new season of the marquee competition begins this Saturday. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah after winning the English Premier League title at Anfield in Liverpool in April. (AP) Liverpool, for whom the groundwork had been laid by former manager Jurgen Klopp, were led by Arne Slot in the 2024-25 season. The Dutchman hit the ground running as he helped the team win a joint-record 20th league title. But now the team that hopes to defend its crown for the first time in over four decades, will have to do so with a relatively new squad. But they are not the only team to break the bank in the summer transfer window. From the Big 6 of England to the newly promoted Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland, the 20 Premier League clubs have spent close to $2 billion - as of August 14 - to prepare their squads for the coming term. Liverpool, though, have spent the most, around €300 million. The club set a new British transfer record by paying Bayer Leverkusen $156 million for Florian Wirtz. Slot has brought in new full-backs in Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, along with French striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt. They replace Luis Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold and temperamental forward Darwin Nunez, and will support the ageing, yet important, stars Mohamed Salah (now 33) and Virgil van Dijk (34). There are also talks going on with Newcastle striker Alexander Isak to join the Reds. In the history of the Premier League, only Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have defended their titles - the latter being four-time defending champions at the start of last season. Now Liverpool will hope to join that list. New challenge for Pep By Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's high standards, the 2024-25 season, despite the team finishing third, was an utter failure. It was only the second time in Spaniard's managerial career that he finished a season without a major trophy. Crucially, in an interview with GQ magazine published earlier this month, Guardiola admitted that he is looking forward to taking a 15-year break once his time at City ends. But in November, he signed a new deal to keep him at the club till 2027. He hasn't been the most proactive during the summer transfer window, despite the club letting go of long-time talisman Kevin de Bruyne and former captain Kyle Walker. They do welcome the return of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who is back from a long-term injury. But in the Red side of Manchester, Ruben Amorin has been busy attempting another rebuild at United. The 20-time champions of England (record 13 in the Premier League) have not challenged for the title since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013. Last year, they slumped to a 15th place finish in a season where possible relegation did threaten. Only three teams last season - including the three that were relegated - scored fewer goals than United. It prompted a big shakeup. And the spending of over €200 million to bring in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to bolster the frontline. London calling Also looking to score more are Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's team have finished as runners-up three seasons in a row. Last year, with 14 draws - less than only Everton - the Gunners weren't firing in as many goals as they needed. So they spent big to bring in Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres to spearhead the team. The team also brought in Noni Madueke, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Nørgaard to strengthen the midfield. In all, so far, the Gunners have spent over €200 million. As have cross-city rivals Chelsea. The London club blew away Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup in July. That event saw coach Enzo Maresca experiment with strategies, but put on a solid display of attacking football. So much so that at times, Chelsea's formation resembles a 3-2-5 when in attack. To shore up the forwardline are newcomers Liam Dilap and Joao Pedro. And while Chelsea did manage to win silverware in the build-up to this season, another London-club, Tottenham Hotspur lost the UEFA Cup to PSG on penalties on Thursday. Spurs, like United, had a forgetful domestic season. The North-London club finished 17th, just above the relegation zone. But in a remarkable twist, they managed to win the Europa League and will play in the Champions League this season. That win in Bilbao was the last competitive match in a Spurs shirt for talisman Hyeon-min Son. New manager Thomas Frank, in from Brentford, has been busy building up his new team, with Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United and Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich being the key signings. Joao Palhinha, a loanee from the German club can also be an important player for Spurs. English football, today, is a tale of three cities. But there will be interest in the way Newcastle United and Aston Villa show up - both teams earning a spot in European competition this year. And as this pre-season rebuild ends, the 34th Premier League season begins.
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
India Exim Bank projects merchandise exports to amount to USD 108.1 bn in Q2 of FY26
New Delhi, Export-Import Bank of India ( India Exim Bank ) forecasts total merchandise exports to amount to USD 108.1 billion, a growth of 4.5 per cent, while non-oil exports are forecast to amount USD 92.1 billion, with a growth of 5.2 per cent, during July-September of FY26. Independence Day 2025 Before Trump, British used tariffs to kill Indian textile Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji gave India its own currency Swadeshi 2.0: India is no longer just a market, it's a maker Non-oil and non-gems and jewellery exports are forecast to amount USD 82.7 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 2.3 per cent, during the second quarter, India Exim Bank said in a statement. Growth in India's exports could be as a result of base effect, along with expected continued buoyancy in manufacturing activity supported by increased capacity utilisation and congenial financial conditions, favourable prospects of current trade negotiations with several countries, and an expansionary monetary policy in India, it said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo The outlook is, however, subject to risks of higher tariffs and global trade policy uncertainty affecting global demand, rising geo-economic fragmentation and persisting geo-political tensions, it said. Forecast of growth in India's total merchandise exports, non-oil exports, non-gems and jewellery exports are released by Exim Bank on a quarterly basis, during the first fortnight of the months of May, August, November, and February for the corresponding quarters, based on its Export Leading Index (ELI) model, it said. Live Events The next growth forecast for India's exports for the third quarter of FY26 (October-December 2025) would be released during the first fortnight of November 2025, it added.
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Spandana Sphoorty posts Rs 360 crore Q1 loss on bad loan impact
Microfinance company Spandana Sphoorty Financial suffered a consolidated net loss of Rs 360 crore in the first quarter of the fiscal, making it the fourth consecutive quarterly loss, on account of high asset quality stress and drop in business volume as well as income. The lender had earned a consolidated net profit of Rs 56 crore in the year ago period. Thereafter, it reported losses in every quarter. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Its consolidated income fell 59% year-on-year at Rs 304 crore against Rs 734 crore. Provisions to cover bad loans were higher at Rs 422 crore as compared with Rs 209 crore. "The losses for the quarter ended June 30, 2025 were mainly due to significant impairment losses (including technical write offs) arising from credit deterioration of loans to customers," the company said in a stock exchange filing. Live Events It wrote off loans to the tune of Rs 581 crore in the June quarter, contributing to the elevated credit costs. "This will be improved going forward by strengthening on-ground recovery. Accordingly, the Company expects to generate sufficient taxable profits to fully utilize the losses," the company said in a joint statement by chairperson Abanti Mitra and interim chief executive officer Ashish Kumar Damani. The consolidated loss before tax for the June quarter was Rs 481 crore. Spandana recognized a deferred tax asset of Rs 544 crore to the extent it is considered recoverable, based on probable future taxable income supported by revised approved business plans and budgets. The lender's standalone loan book contracted to Rs 3877 crore at the end of June from Rs 5555 crore three months prior to that. Gross non-performing assets ratio was at 4.88% at the end of June as compared with 4.85% three months back. Net NPA remained at 0.96%. The company's consolidated assets under management stood lower at Rs 4958 crore, as compared with Rs 11723 crore a year back. The GNPA for the consolidated balance sheet was 5.49% against 2.60% a year back. Spandana was non-compliant with certain covenants related to portfolio at risk, gross NPA, tangible net worth , and quarterly profitability as of and for the quarter ended June 30. It has obtained waivers in respect of such non-compliant covenants from few of the lenders. "The company has been in constant communication with its lenders and is confident that no demand for immediate repayment of borrowed funds will be made due to non-compliance with the covenants," it said. The company management is of the view that it would be able to realise all its assets and discharge all its liabilities in the normal course of business. "There are no material uncertainties on the company's ability to continue as a going concern," it said. It has a strong capital position, with tier I capital of ₹1,245.53 crores and a capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of 37%. It has successfully raised fresh investment of Rs 200 crore through a partly paid rights issue of shares. The balance Rs 200 crore of the Rs 400-crore rights issue will be realised at a later date.
