A British military transport plane landed here on Sunday afternoon with a 24-member team of aviation engineers and defence personnel, who will examine the Royal Navy fighter jet that has been grounded at Thiruvananthapuram airport since June 14.
The team will check the F-35B stealth fighter for a hydraulic snag and determine whether it can be repaired on site in India or must be dismantled and airlifted back to the UK.
The UK team was expected to arrive on Saturday, but their aircraft touched down at Thiruvananthapuram a day later after a brief halt in Oman.
Shortly after offloading the 24-member team, the Royal Air Force transport aircraft, an Airbus A400M Atlas, flew back to the UK. It took back with it the stranded fighter jet’s 10-member crew, who had spent the last 22 days in the Kerala capital.
“The UK has accepted the offer of a space in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, and are in discussions to finalise arrangements with relevant authorities,” a British high commission spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added: “In line with standard procedure, the aircraft will be movedfollowing the arrival of UKengineers, who are carrying specialist equipment necessary for the movement and repair process.”
A tow vehicle brought from the UK dragged the F-35B from the tarmac to the MRO on Sunday.
The fifth-generation stealth fighter, produced by US company Lockheed Martin, is known for its short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities, which make it one of the most versatile and advanced aircraft in modern combat fleets.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US trip in February, President Donald Trump had promised to get India a few F-35B aircraft.
However, the stealth jet’s image has taken a beating worldwide since the Royal Navy aircraft’s emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Opposition Conservative Party in the UK has kicked off a debate in the British Parliament on the delay in resolving the technical snag.