Royal Navy F-35 from CSG25 makes emergency landing at civilian airport in India
A Royal Navy F-35B had to make an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in India after flying from HMS Prince of Wales, it has been reported.
The Indian Air Force said the fighter jet was completing a routine journey outside the Indian air defence identification zone.
Bad weather may have made it too dangerous to land on the carrier's deck, according to retired Tornado pilot Greg Bagwell.
"A Royal Navy F-35B fighter recovered off an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport," the Indian Air Force said in a post on Instagram.
"Operating from UK aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, it was undertaking routine flying outside Indian ADIZ with Thiruvananthapuram earmarked as the emergency recovery airfield.
"On having declared a diversion off an emergency, the F-35B was detected and identified by the IAF's IACCS network and cleared for the recovery."
The Indian Air Force said it would give any support required and help return the aircraft to the Royal Navy's flagship.
Air Marshal (Retired) Greg Bagwell speculated that bad weather may have forced the fighter jet to run the risk of running out of fuel.
"Air operations at sea cannot always guarantee a safe recovery, either through an incident on deck or poor weather making a landing dangerous/impossible," Mr Bagwell said.
"For that reason, you always recover with sufficient fuel to divert to an alternate (usually a land base)."
The former Tornado pilot said that UK aircraft carriers do not have the option to launch refuelling aircraft and suggested it could also be because of the F-35B's low fuel load.
The F-35B Lightning is a stealth aircraft used to operate air-to-surface, electronic warfare, intelligence gathering, and air-to-air missions.
"A UK F-35 aircraft was unable to return to HMS Prince of Wales due to adverse weather conditions," a Royal Navy spokesperson said.
"Prioritising safety, the aircraft diverted to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in India, where it landed safely and without incident.
"It is standard practice for aircraft to carry sufficient fuel reserves to accommodate such diversions when necessary."
HMS Prince of Wales is currently leading Carrier Strike Group 25 on an eight-month deployment.
As part of Operation Highmast, the aircraft carrier and her multinational strike group will travel more than 30,000 miles as she visits the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and Australia.
Operation Highmast involves around 4,500 British military personnel, including nearly 600 RAF and 900 soldiers alongside 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.
CSG25 recently came together with the Indian Navy in the western Arabian Sea to conduct a passing exercise, known as a passex, where the ships of the two navies sail together.
For more reports about Carrier Strike Group 25, click here.
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