India: A British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala late on Saturday night after reportedly running low on fuel while on a sortie over the Indian Ocean.
The 5th-generation stealth fighter is part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group, which is currently operating in the Indo-Pacific and had recently completed joint maritime exercises with the Indian Navy.
The F-35 programme, spearheaded by US defence contractor Lockheed Martin, is widely regarded as one of the most advanced multirole fighter aircraft platforms in service today. The aircraft’s stealth capabilities, electronic warfare systems, and data-sharing infrastructure are central to the US, UK, Israel and NATO’s modern air strategy.