A British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala late on Saturday night after running low on fuel while on a sortie over the Indian Ocean.
The 5th-generation stealth fighter is part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group, which is currently operating in the Indo-Pacific and had recently completed joint maritime exercises with the Indian Navy.
Military aviation experts describe the incident as unusual but not unprecedented. The F-35B variant is specifically designed for short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL), allowing it to operate from aircraft carriers without catapult systems. It is not clear why the aircraft was unable to recover onto the Prince of Wales, although early indications suggest poor weather conditions around the carrier may have prevented a safe landing.
The F-35 programme, spearheaded by US defence contractor Lockheed Martin, is widely regarded as one of the most advanced multirole fighter aircraft platforms in service today. The aircraft’s stealth capabilities, electronic warfare systems, and data-sharing infrastructure are central to the US, UK, Israel and NATO’s modern air strategy.
Neither the UK Ministry of Defence nor Lockheed Martin have issued statements on the specifics of the emergency landing. As of Sunday morning, the fighter jet remains parked at Thiruvananthapuram airport.
