British team lands in Thiruvananthapuram to repair F-35B fighter jet

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 17-member team has arrived to repair the grounded F-35B fighter jet of the Royal Air Force at the Thiruvananthapuram airport for 20 days. Engineers from the aircraft’s manufacturer American Company Lockheed Martin and British navy arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport in transport aircraft Airbus 400.

Engineers from the aircraft's manufacturer, American company Lockheed Martin, and the British Army arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram airport in an Airbus 400 transport aircraft. They are not allowed to enter the plane. The plane landed here on June 14 due to low fuel and a technical fault.

The team is considering three options. Repair the aircraft at the place where it is stationed now at the airport's parking bay, tow the aircraft to the hangar, and if both these options do not work, dismantle some parts of the aircraft here and airlift them back. If the aircraft is airlifted, the British Army will pay for the airport's parking, handling and landing fees.

The expert team arrived with equipment to tow the plane to the hangar. The plane is said to have suffered a serious hydraulic failure. The plane is worth $115 million (Rs 995 crore).