A British Royal Navy F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, which has been stranded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala, India, since June 14, 2025, is now likely to be dismantled for transport back to the UK. The stealth fighter jet, valued at approximately $120 million, made an emergency landing due to low fuel and adverse weather conditions while operating from the UK's aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. After landing, a critical hydraulic system failure grounded the aircraft, thwarting initial repair attempts.

Following the emergency landing, the Indian Air Force (IAF) provided immediate logistical support, including refueling and coordination for a safe landing. The IAF's Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) facilitated the landing at Thiruvananthapuram, a pre-designated emergency recovery airfield. Despite these efforts, Royal Navy technicians were unable to fix the hydraulic issue, which is crucial for operating flight controls and landing gear.

The UK is now contemplating airlifting the jet back to a specialized repair facility in the United Kingdom using a Royal Air Force (RAF) C-17 Globemaster III. If repairs in India are unsuccessful, military sources say the F-35B could be dismantled and transported back to the UK using a heavy-lift aircraft — a complicated and expensive backup option. This decision underscores the technical and diplomatic challenges of handling advanced military assets abroad, especially in a non-NATO country like India.

The incident has drawn attention to the maintenance challenges associated with the F-35 platform. A specialist engineering team of 40 members was dispatched from the UK to India with specialized equipment, but they were ultimately unable to resolve the issue. The British High Commission confirmed that the aircraft could not return to HMS Prince of Wales due to the engineering problem. The F-35B has remained under strict security, guarded by both British personnel and India's Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The British High Commission has expressed gratitude to Indian authorities for their support following the emergency landing. The UK has accepted an offer to move the stranded F-35B aircraft to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

The incident has also raised concerns in the United Kingdom regarding the security of the jet's sensitive technology. UK lawmakers have questioned the handling of the situation, highlighting the complexities of operating advanced military hardware in a geopolitically sensitive region.