THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A British fighter jet that made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport after running low on fuel while conducting military exercises in the Arabian Sea did not return on Monday owing to an unsolvable technical problem.

A team of three engineers and a pilot had arrived to fix the problem on the American-made F-35 fighter jet. Although repairs were carried out with the help of Air Force engineers, the plane was unable to take off on Monday.

The remaining faults will be fixed and the aircraft will fly to the HMS Prince of Wales, which is anchored 100 nautical miles away at sea today.

The Indian Navy and the British Navy were conducting a joint military exercise called PASSEX in the Arabian Sea. The aircraft took off from the warship as part of this. It could not return to the ship due to adverse weather conditions. As the fuel was running out, the pilot sought permission to land in Thiruvananthapuram.

The United States will soon hand over the F-35, one of the world's most advanced fighter jets, to India. This is expected to increase the strike capability of the Indian Air Force.