A British fighter jet stuck at an Indian airport for over five weeks is finally expected to fly out on Tuesday.
The F-35B jet is known for its latest technology and vertical landing ability, and it landed at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram airport on 14 June.
It was diverted to the airport due to bad weather while flying over the Indian Ocean.
The jet could not move for weeks due to a functional failure, and it gave rise to questions about how such an advanced jet could stay in a different country for this much time.
Reportedly, the F-35B jet belongs to the fleet of HMS Prince of Wales, which is a Navy aircraft carrier.
Engineers working in the ship tried to fix the issue, but they failed.
The UK Ministry of Defence then sent a team of 14 engineers to India around 14 days ago to solve the issue amid speculations that if the plane failed to get started, it could be dismantled.
Later, it could be transported in a large cargo aircraft, like a C-17 Globemaster.
Neither the UK High Commission nor the Ministry of Defence shared any additional details about it during the jet’s stay at the Indian airport.
However, many videos showed the F-35B being towed to a hangar for maintenance.
On Monday, an airport official confirmed that the aircraft is now “airworthy,” media reports said.
He revealed that the jet would be taken out of the hangar on Monday and is likely to depart on Tuesday.
The official noted that the jet is likely to depart on Tuesday after it was taken out of the hangar on Monday.
However, he said that details of its departure time and refueling stop are still unknown.
The F-35B is built by Lockheed Martin and costs USD 110 million.
Its characteristics include stealth features and the ability to take off from short runways and vertical landing.
Viral images of the jet getting drenched at the airport in Kerala’s monsoonal rains received funny reactions on social media.
Many said that the jet is impressed by the scenic state and doesn’t want to leave it.
The issue had even reached the UK Parliament, where the jet’s situation was mentioned in the House of Commons.
