An F-35 Lightning II fighter jet belonging to the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy made an emergency landing at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Saturday (June 14, 2025) night. The stealth aircraft, which is believed to have taken off from a British aircraft carrier operating in the Indian Ocean region, touched down safely around 9:28 p.m. Surrounding this, various social media users have shared some claims.
A user has shared the claim stating a British F‑35B fighter jet has been stuck in India for two weeks. This proves that even the U.S., which makes the jet, can’t fix it, raising questions about India’s plan to buy such a problematic aircraft.
Fact Check
Upon investigation, we found the claim to be False. According to a report by The Print, as well as the British Royal Navy’s F‑35B made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on June 14 due to bad weather and low fuel. After landing, a hydraulic snag was discovered, which required specialized equipment and personnel from the UK to fix. The jet has remained grounded as logistical arrangements are being made to tow it to a maintenance hangar at the airport.
The Hindustan Times further confirms that the delay is due to the complex systems of the aircraft and the need for specialized repair equipment and security procedures. Since this is a British military jet, repairs are being managed by the UK, not the U.S. manufacturer. There is no evidence of a design flaw or systemic failure.
According to The Independent, British officials said that they have no concerns about espionage and are grateful to their Indian allies for keeping the jet safe while it awaits essential repairs by a specialist team due to be flown out from the UK. Furthermore, it was reported that A Royal Navy spokesperson rejected Indian media reports that suggested the jet had not been moved to a closed hangar because Britain does not trust India to keep it safe and untampered with. They suggested this would have been done already had the necessary equipment and expertise been on hand.
Conclusion
Thus, from the fact check, it is evident that it is not a failure of the F‑35’s design but a case of standard safety and repair protocols for a highly advanced jet after an emergency landing. Using this isolated incident to claim the F‑35 is unreliable or to question India’s procurement plans is misleading and inaccurate.
