British F-35 finally leaves India after 39 days grounded (VIDEO) — ApsnyNews India

A British fighter jet grounded in southern India for 39 days has finally left the country and departed for Australia, UK officials have said.

The RAF F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group and was engaged in operations in the Indo-Pacific region after conducting joint exercises with the Indian Navy. 

The $110 million jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram Airport on June 14 after developing a hydraulic fault. It remained grounded while an expert team from the UK arrived to carry out the necessary repairs.

“A UK engineering team, deployed since July 6 completed the repairs and safety checks, allowing the aircraft to resume active service,” a British High Commission spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Mint business daily. 

In June, the British High Commission in New Delhi said that the fighter would be moved to an Air India maintenance hangar once specialist teams and equipment arrived from the UK. Subsequently, British officials made multiple attempts to fix the jet to enable it to fly out of India. At one point they even considered transporting it back on a C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft. 

The F-35B was eventually towed to a hangar for repair on July 6, requiring special equipment to be flown in. A team of 24 technical experts and RAF crew members arrived with the necessary equipment to repair the jet, according to the NDTV website. 

The jet's stay in India incurred significant expenses, including landing and daily parking charges. 

In February, US President Donald Trump suggested that India buy F-35s for its air force, but some Indian defense analysts have recommended the Russian-made Sukhoi Su-57 as a better alternative.

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