NEW DELHI: A British F-35B fighter jet stranded at an Indian airport for more than a month, sparking memes and cartoons on social media, took off Tuesday (July 22) after being repaired by a team of UK engineers, an Indian official said.
The stealth fighter, one of the world’s most advanced and costing around US$115 million, was grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in the southern state of Kerala due to technical snags.
The aircraft had hydraulic issues and problems with its auxiliary power unit that have been fixed, said the Thiruvananthapuram official, who wasn’t authorised to speak with the media and requested anonymity.
The aircraft will fly to a British aircraft carrier in Darwin, Australia, the official said.
The British High Commission and UK’s Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The jet was on a regular sortie in the Arabian Sea in June when it ran into bad weather and couldn’t return to the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales. The aircraft diverted to Thiruvananthapuram and landed safely June 14.
The stranded military aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, triggered AI-generated memes in India. A Kerala tourism department social media post showed the plane on the tarmac surrounded by coconut trees with a fictitious five-star review: "Kerala is such an amazing place, I don’t want to leave. Definitely recommend."
The top official at the tourism department, K. Biju, said the post was in "good humour.”
"It was our way to appreciate and thank the Brits who are the biggest inbound visitors to Kerala for tourism,” Biju said.
Another cartoon posted on X showed the plane enjoying snacks with a group of locals against a scenic background.
There was speculation in India that the aircraft could be partially dismantled and transported in a cargo plane if repairs were unsuccesful. The UK Ministry of Defence dismissed the speculation in a statement. - AP
