The British Royal Navy’s F-35B stealth fighter jet, which had been grounded for three weeks at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram airport due to a malfunction, has now been moved to a hangar. British technicians have been working continuously to diagnose and repair the fighter.
A new team of engineers recently arrived aboard an Airbus A400M Atlas aircraft to assess whether the jet can be repaired on-site or must be dismantled for transport back to the UK aboard a C-17 Globemaster military cargo plane, according to news reports.
Valued at over $110 million, the F-35B is one of the most expensive fighter jets in terms of development and unit cost. The aircraft is part of the arsenal aboard the UK’s aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, whose onboard engineers were the first to assess the situation. They concluded that additional technical support and specialized equipment from the UK were necessary.
If dismantling is required, the operation must follow extremely strict protocols due to the jet’s classified stealth technology. British military personnel are closely supervising the process to ensure that every component — from major systems to individual screws — is carefully logged and security-coded. The aim is to prevent any potential breach of sensitive technology that could compromise combat capabilities or pose diplomatic and national security risks.
This wouldn’t be the first time such a procedure is undertaken. In May 2019, an F-35 Lightning II was dismantled and transported via a C-17 Globemaster from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to Hill AFB, Utah — a process that took four years and cost around $200,000, according to the U.S. Air Force.
The outcome of the current operation in Kerala remains pending as engineers evaluate the best path forward for the jet’s recovery and repatriation.
