The British Royal Navy’s F-35B stealth fighter jet, which had been stranded for five weeks at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram airport, successfully took off this morning, ending a tense chapter that began with a mid-air emergency.
The advanced jet was forced to make an emergency landing on June 14 due to a hydraulic failure while en route from the United Kingdom to Australia.
A specialist team from the Royal Navy had flown in to conduct repairs on the high-tech aircraft. Following successful testing and safety clearance, the jet was finally given the green signal on July 16 to return to operational flight.
The F-35B is one of the world’s most advanced multirole stealth fighters, capable of vertical landings and take-offs, and is a key asset in the Royal Navy’s strike capabilities.
