The F-35 from HMS Prince of Wales that made an emergency landing on 14th June is still on the ground at Thiruvananthapuram Airport, a week later.
Local media reports say that the initial diversion was due to very bad weather around the carrier. However, the jet subsequently developed a hydraulic and/or engine issue that prevented takeoff. An engineering team was flown in from the ship aboard a Merlin helicopter but was unable to effect a repair, with three failed attempts to get airborne reported so far. It is possible that the highly complex aircraft is awaiting the delivery of new parts and specialist servicing equipment. It remains parked at the airport inside a protective cordon provided by India’s Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Air India offered hangar space for the aircraft, but this was turned down by the British, despite the jet being left in the open and exposed to monsoon weather. For now, it is preferred to keep the aircraft on the hardstanding, where it can be more easily observed. Although India is considered a friendly nation and has a good working defence relationship with the UK, it also has links with Russia, and the level of trust is not the same as would be the case with a NATO nation. The F-35 carries a significant amount of sensitive technology, and the UK would be keen to avoid it being subjected to detailed inspection by unauthorised personnel. Opening up the aircraft for deep repair will require a clean environment, and such work in a third country may also require permission from Lockheed Martin.
As the Carrier Strike Group heads away from India, it complicates the options for returning the jet to the ship. If the aircraft can be repaired in India, it would either need to make a series of hops, refuelling in different countries, with all the diplomatic complications that may involve, or require long-range air-to-air tanker support. HMS Prince of Wales is currently heading for Singapore (at least 3,000 km from southern India) and then on to Australia for Exercise Talisman Sabre, beginning in mid-July. An alternative solution would be to keep the repaired jet securely stored in India and have it rejoin the ship on the homeward leg as it heads westward across the Indian Ocean, probably sometime in late September. Another, less attractive option would be to remove the wings and return the jet to Marham aboard an RAF C-17 Globemaster III.
Although there has been minimal coverage in the UK, the situation has sparked lively debate in the Indian media. As the unscheduled and high-profile stay has become extended, it is not enhancing the reputation of either the UK or the Royal Navy. One wag has even listed the jet for sale on the Indian equivalent of eBay.
Donald Trump made a verbal offer to sell F-35s to the Indian government in 2020, attempting to lure them away from their traditional reliance on (increasingly attractive) Russian military aircraft and other weaponry. No formal discussions have begun, and an Indian purchase of the F-35 is still seen as a remote possibility. Although aircraft breakdowns are not unusual and carrier aircraft diversions do happen, having an unserviceable foreign F-35 stuck on the ground for over a week will not enhance its reputation. RAF/RN figures are not available, but USMC F-35Bs manage about 50–55% mission readiness, well short of the 65% minimum they are supposed to achieve.
