Britain's state-of-the-art F-35B stealth fighter aircraft had to make an emergency landing at thiruvananthapuram International airport in kerala on saturday night. According to the information received, the aircraft had to abort its scheduled flight due to lack of fuel and was landed at the nearest alternate airport for security reasons.
This jet is attached to the british Navy's aircraft carrier
This hi-tech fighter jet is part of the Carrier strike Group operated from the british Navy's aircraft carrier HMS prince of Wales. The group is currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific region and has recently completed a joint exercise with the indian Navy.
The F-35B is equipped with special technology
Military aviation experts say that such emergency landings are rare, but not completely impossible. The F-35B is a state-of-the-art 5th generation fighter aircraft, designed with short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capability. This special design enables the aircraft to take off and return from the aircraft carrier without any additional launch system. Although it is not clear why the aircraft could not return to its ship, initial reports have said that bad weather around the prince of Wales could be the reason.
The F-35 program developed by Lockheed Martin is considered one of the most advanced multirole fighter aircraft platforms in the world. Its stealth technology, electronic warfare capabilities and network-based data sharing capabilities make it an important part of the modern air strategy of countries like the US, UK, israel and NATO.
This fighter aircraft remained parked at thiruvananthapuram airport till sunday morning. So far, neither the UK Defense Ministry nor Lockheed Martin has issued any formal statement regarding this emergency landing.
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