U.K. fighter jet's departure to be delayed further
The departure of the Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet of the U.K. government that made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of June 14 is likely to be delayed as the aircraft had suffered some serious damage during the emergency landing. According to sources, the British authorities have sought more time and an MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility to fix the technical glitches.
At present, four crew members are staying here, and an expert team from the U.K. is likely to arrive in the coming days to tend to the combat jet. It is expected that at least one week is required to fix the technical issues, said the sources. The stealth aircraft may be taken to the MRO of Air India from bay number four in the coming days for repairs.
The combat jet developed technical glitches when it was forced to make an emergency landing after running on low fuel. Operating from the U.K. aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, the jet was undertaking routine flying outside the Indian Air Defence Identification Zone, with Thiruvananthapuram earmarked as the emergency recovery airfield, on June 14. However, the weather turned rough in the Indian Ocean, making it difficult for the fighter jet to land on the aircraft carrier. With fuel running low, it then had to request an emergency landing here.
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