British fighter jet makes an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram airport

New Delhi (India) June 15: During a sortie over the Indian Ocean, a British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing late Saturday night at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala.

The occurrence is seen as uncommon but not exceptional by military aviation experts. The F-35B version can fly from aircraft carriers without catapult systems because it is specifically constructed for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL). Although the cause of the aircraft's inability to recover onto the Prince of Wales is unknown, preliminary reports indicate that unfavourable weather conditions surrounding the carrier might have delayed a safe landing.

The plane is parked at the airport right now. Refuelling will start as soon as the appropriate Central government officials give their clearance.

The aircraft was on a training trip when bad weather made it impossible for it to return to the UK Navy ship, which was anchored some 100 nautical miles off the coast of Thiruvananthapuram. Despite several tries, the pilot was compelled to look for alternate landing arrangements due to limited visibility and heavy gusts.

The emergency landing was authorized by Thiruvananthapuram Airport authorities, and the aircraft made a safe touchdown. Airport officials said the fighter plane will only be allowed to refuel and take off again after obtaining all the approvals, both legal and procedural.

As a member of the UK's HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group, which is presently engaged in Indo-Pacific operations, the fifth-generation stealth fighter recently concluded cooperative naval drills with the Indian Navy.

The F-35 program is led by US defence contractor Lockheed Martin and is one of the most cutting-edge multirole fighter aircraft systems. The US, UK, Israel and NATO's current air policy heavily relies on the aircraft's stealth capabilities, electronic warfare equipment and data-sharing infrastructure.

According to a source, airport officials announced an emergency to guarantee a safe and orderly landing. They said that the pilot had requested permission to land after reporting low fuel and everything was managed promptly and expertly.

This incident happens when tensions in West Asia between Israel and Iran are rising. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared on Saturday that the country was deploying more fighter jets and other military equipment to West Asia in order to support the region.

Aadrika Tayal