The British Navy’s F-35B fighter jet, which made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram airport after running low on fuel on Saturday, remains grounded over a suspected snag in its hydraulic system.
The jet, which had taken off from UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales stationed 100 nautical miles off the coast in the Indian Ocean, was on a regular sortie when it had to divert to the Kerala airport.
A six-member crew from the frigate has flown to the airport on a chopper to rectify the technical snag.
The CISF has been tasked with providing security to the jet till it can fly back.
“Fighter jets develop such technical snags in their hydraulic system whenever it runs low on fuel. Initially, a six-member crew had come down to rectify the snag.
Four of them flew back at 11am on Tuesday after fixing the issue. But the fighter
jet is still parked at the airport,” an airport source told The Telegraph.
The source at the Indian Army’s Pangode Military Camp told this newspaper that the remaining crew members would be able to fly back with the jet after getting security clearance from the external affairs and defence ministries.
The F-35B, a fifth-generation stealth fighter capable of short take-offs and vertical landings, is among the most advanced jets in the world.