Latest news with #WangYa'nan
India Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Another British F-35 jet makes emergency landing in Japan weeks after India snag
A British F-35B stealth fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport in southwestern Japan on Sunday due to a technical malfunction, according to airport officials cited by Kyodo incident occurred around 11.30 am, prompting a temporary runway closure that disrupted several commercial flight departures and arrivals for approximately 20 minutes. No injuries were jet is part of a British aircraft carrier strike group currently engaged in a joint military exercise with Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force and US forces. The drill began on August 4 and is scheduled to continue until next Tuesday. This is the second known emergency landing involving a British F-35B in recent months. Another fighter jet from the UK's HMS Prince of Wales aircraft carrier made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on June 14, due to a hydraulic system aircraft, which was conducting a routine sortie at the time, was unable to return to the carrier and diverted to Thiruvananthapuram Airport, a designated emergency recovery site. The Indian Air Force provided full support, including refuelling and ground jet remained grounded at the airport for five weeks before finally departing on July 22. The British High Commission later thanked Indian authorities for their cooperation during the repair and recovery process.'We remain very grateful for the support and collaboration of the Indian authorities and airport teams throughout,' a British High Commission spokesperson said, adding that the UK looks forward to strengthening its defence partnership with recent event has drawn attention from state-run media outlets in China and Russia. Russia's Sputnik India account on X posted, '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'.China's state-run Global Times took a sharper stance, arguing that the malfunctions highlighted the F-35B's 'overly complex systems and demanding maintenance requirements.' Citing Chinese aviation expert Wang Ya'nan, the outlet claimed that UK personnel may be struggling to manage these challenges during extended deployments far from home. The F-35B, developed by Lockheed Martin, is a state-of-the-art stealth fighter known for its short take-off and vertical landing capabilities.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Kerala rerun? UK F-35 jet makes emergency landing in Japan; Chinese, Russian media have field day
UK F-35 jet makes emergency landing in Japan (Picture credit: X) A British F-35B stealth fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Sunday at Kagoshima Airport in south-western Japan due to a malfunction, airport officials told Kyodo News. As per news agency ANI, the incident occurred at around 11:30 am (local time), briefly closing the runway for about 20 minutes and delaying several commercial flights. No injuries were reported. The malfunction happened while British forces were taking part in a joint drill with Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force and the US military, which began on 4 August and is set to run until Tuesday. The UK has dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group to the western Pacific as part of the exercise, Kyodo reported. Japanese broadcaster NHK cited the defence ministry as saying the jet was operating from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. The carrier, on a major Indo-Pacific deployment since April, has visited ports in the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan, and Australia. This is the second such mishap in less than two months. On 14 June, another UK F-35B from HMS Prince of Wales made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala after a hydraulic fault. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Learn 57+ Languages Easily with AI [Join] Talkpal AI Sign Up Undo That aircraft remained grounded for more than five weeks before repairs were completed, with the British High Commission publicly thanking Indian authorities for their assistance. The latest incident has been seized upon by Chinese and Russian state media. Russia's Sputnik India account on X posted, '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'. China's state-run Global Times went further, suggesting that the malfunctions 'underscored the F-35B's overly complex systems and highly demanding maintainability', something UK sailors 'could be struggling to deal with in far seas deployments.' The Beijing-run outlet, citing Chinese expert Wang Ya'nan, remarked that the F-35B is the most technically complex variant of the F-35 family and poses 'significant maintenance challenges,' especially during prolonged carrier operations far from home. It noted that HMS Prince of Wales, on what UK media described as a 'major deployment' since April, has been plagued by 'technical issues' despite aiming to demonstrate Britain's fast-jet capability at sea. The paper reminded readers that the jet stranded in India for over five weeks became 'a subject of jokes and memes,' raising questions over 'how such a modern aircraft could remain stuck in a foreign country for so long. ' In a pointed swipe, Global Times claimed the UK's carrier deployments were 'following the US' global strategy' and dependent on 'US-made equipment,' adding that Britain's naval operational capabilities 'are no longer what they once were' and that the recent malfunctions should prompt London to 'reconsider its policy of accommodating US interests.' According to Birmingham Live, the Japanese emergency involved a different aircraft than the one stranded in India. The Kagoshima jet is now under inspection, guarded by RAF personnel, and is expected to rejoin the Carrier Strike Group once cleared. F-35Bs, built by Lockheed Martin, are prized for their stealth capabilities and short take-off/vertical landing performance, but their sophistication also makes them maintenance-intensive. HMS Prince of Wales is expected to dock at Yokosuka on Tuesday before heading to Tokyo later this month.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
More Starlink satellites are falling, and it's because of the sun: Here's how
Double trouble! and his billion-dollar space company have both been facing a difficult time recently. While the former is a victim of his own actions, his company is being attacked by the king of the solar system – the sun. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to a recent study by a NASA research center, cited by media reports, the Sun's intensifying activity is affecting Earth's satellites, particularly those in SpaceX's Starlink constellation. As the Sun approaches the peak of its 11-year cycle, there is a surge in geomagnetic storms which is causing more and more Starlink satellites to deorbit and fall from the sky. On Monday, an expert warned that while the Starlink satellites typically burn-up during atmospheric re-entry, their de-orbiting phase presents significant risks, as their unpredictable trajectories can create collision hazards for other spacecraft present in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). After their launch in 2019, SpaceX satellites began their atmospheric re-entry in 2020 when two satellites fell from the sky. However, in the progressive years, more and more such satellites have fallen. In 2021, 78 satellites fell, in 2022, 99 satellites fell; and in 2023, 88 fell. The figure surged even higher in 2024 when 316 Starlink satellites fell out of the sky, as per a report by a team led by space physicist Denny Oliviera of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, reported Science Alert. It was when the researchers analysed the 523 Starlink satellites that entered the Earth's atmosphere again between 2020 and 2024, that they figured out the clear correlation with solar behaviour. This was the period when the Sun escalated towards the peak of its activity cycle. "We clearly show that the intense solar activity of the current solar cycle has already had significant impacts on Starlink reentries," wrote the researchers. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "This is a very exciting time in satellite orbital drag research, as the number of satellites in low-Earth orbit and the level of solar activity are at historic highs." What is the 11 year cycle? Image credits: Getty Images The solar cycle is an 11-year cycle of fluctuations in the Sun's activity, and currently it is at the peak of this cycle. This means a rise in solar activity and thus solar ejections, which has left the upper atmosphere heating up significantly. The added heat energy causes the atmosphere to expand, increasing the drag on spacecraft in low Earth orbit and making it difficult for them to maintain their trajectories. "This phenomenon is normal and is caused by atmospheric anomalies due to heightened solar activity. When solar activity intensifies, the upper boundary rises, increasing collisions between low-orbit satellites and atmospheric molecules, which accelerates orbital decay. The satellites gradually lose speed and eventually deorbit," Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times on Monday. Typically, high-value satellites have autonomous orbit adjustment capabilities that allow them to handle the impact of the solar activities. However, the Starlink satellites that have been designed as low-cost, high-density, mass-produced satellites have a weaker orbit control. According to Wang, Starlink satellites burn up quickly and thus are unlikely to become long-term space debris or hit Earth's surface. They just pose an ability to affect other low-orbit space launches.
