A fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II fighter of the British Royal Navy was forced to make an emergency landing in India after being unable to return to the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. The Lightning II pilot had no alternative but to divert to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, a previously designated emergency recovery airfield.
According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the incident occurred during the night of June 14, after the British F-35B Lightning II had conducted routine flights outside of India’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). “…On having declared a diversion off an emergency, the F35B was detected and identified by the IAF’s IACCS network and cleared for the recovery. IAF is providing all necessary support for the rectification and subsequent return of the aircraft” the Indian Air Force stated in a press release.
Meanwhile, the Royal Navy reported: “…A UK F-35 aircraft was unable to return to HMS Prince of Wales due to adverse weather conditions… Prioritizing safety, the aircraft diverted to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in India, where it landed safely and without incident…”
This particular F-35B Lightning II belongs to the Royal Navy’s No. 617 Squadron, one of the units embarked aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. The presence of the aforementioned vessel, along with its multinational strike group, is part of Operation Highmast, the United Kingdom Armed Forces’ deployment in the Indo-Pacific region.
Operation Highmast is one of the UK’s most significant deployments to the Indo-Pacific in recent years, involving 600 Royal Air Force personnel, 900 soldiers, and 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.
In terms of assets, the HMS Prince of Wales is accompanied by its embarked air wing, including F-35B Lightning II fighters and EH-101 Merlin and Wildcat helicopters. The strike group also includes the logistics vessel RFA Tidespring, the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, and the Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond. Joining the British units are the Canadian Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec, the Spanish Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate ESPS Méndez Núñez, and the Norwegian Nansen-class frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen.
Cover image: IAF
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