Thiruvananthapuram: An expert engineering team with specialist equipment from UK will land here next week for the maintenance of F-35 British Royal Navy fighter, which made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of June 14.
“We are working to repair the UK F-35B at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport as quickly as possible. We thank the Indian authorities for their continued support,” British High Commission sources said.
“The F-35B aircraft towing equipment is being brought in to move the aircraft safely. Without it, aircraft cannot be towed and risk further damage,” said a source.
“Offer to move the aircraft was accepted. It is a maintenance hanger of Air India. Moving it prematurely can hamper other scheduled maintenance of other aircraft.”
“The British side is conscious of this fact and has decided it will move the aircraft once specialist equipment and UK engineering teams arrive. This will minimise disruption.”
Though the emergency landing is said to be for refuelling purposes, the fighter is currently parked at the bay, with sources saying efforts were being made to rectify its hydraulic failure.
Earlier, a team of technical experts, who reached here from the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, failed to rectify the technical issues.
The F-35B Lightning is a stealth aircraft operating alongside the Typhoon. A multi-role machine, Lightning is capable of conducting air-to-surface, electronic warfare, intelligence gathering and air-to-air missions simultaneously.
‘Lightning’ has advance sensors, mission systems and low-observable technology, otherwise known as stealth, that allows it to operate undetected in hostile environments. ‘Lightning’ is a short take-off and vertical landing aircraft that can operate from aircraft carriers and in austere environments.
