IAF confirms emergency landing of UK’s F-35B fighter at Thiruvananthapuram airport, offers full support

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday confirmed that a Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet from the United Kingdom made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of June 14.

The aircraft was operating from the UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and was undertaking routine flying operations outside India’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).In a statement shared on X, the IAF said, “A Royal Navy F-35B fighter recovered off an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport… On having declared a diversion off an emergency, the F-35B was detected and identified by the IAF’s IACCS network and cleared for recovery.”The IAF further said that Thiruvananthapuram had been earmarked in advance as an emergency recovery airfield. It added, “IAF is providing all necessary support for the rectification and subsequent return of the aircraft.”The emergency landing comes days after the Indian Navy and UK Carrier Strike Group (UK CSG25) held a joint naval drill in the western Arabian Sea, involving HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Richmond, INS Tabar, and other assets.