RAF F-35B Declares Emergency On Routine Flight

(Picture: MOD).

An F-35B fighter jet based at RAF Marham in Norfolk declared an emergency while on a routine flight near its base. 

It landed safely after experiencing a "minor technical issue" on Thursday.

An RAF spokesman said: "The RAF can confirm an F35 Lightning experienced a minor technical issue during a routine flight last night.

"The aircraft landed safely."

An emergency squawk is used to identify an aircraft with a possible issue and enables it to have priority over other air traffic.

It does not necessarily mean the aircraft has an emergency, but flight safety is paramount and if there is any doubt pilots will recover to a suitable base or airfield as soon as possible.

This is not the first time there have been issues with the aircraft.

In October last year, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced that five of the UK's 16 F-35B fighter jets required a replacement fuel tube after engine inspections - 20% of the fleet.

It came after the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) issued a global inspection of the fuel tube on all F-35 aircraft after a US F-35B crashed in South Carolina. 

One of the nine operational aircraft at RAF Marham was affected by the problem.

The MOD is expected to purchase 138 F-35Bs in total.