UK working to retrieve F-35B stranded in India after emergency

An F-35B seen here on the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales as it docked in Singapore. One of the carrier's F-35B is presently stranded in India after a weather emergency. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

A senior member from the UK Royal Navy's aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has confirmed that one of its Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning aircraft is stranded in India after an emergency, and that the service is working with the Royal Air Force (RAF) to retrieve it.

In response to questions from Janes, Commander of the Air Wing for Prince of Wales Captain Colin McGannity confirmed that the aircraft was diverted ashore to India after encountering bad weather while flying over the Indian Ocean.

Three F-35B airframes took part in the operation before running into inclement weather, according to Capt McGannity.

“We see some really bad weather at sea, and there was one particular night where we had some jets airborne. Two of them made it back, no problem at all, and the other one found some of the really worst weather,” he said.

“Iʼm really, really proud of the team that made the decision that the best thing for them to do was to put it ashore in India,” Capt McGannity added.

He did not provide the date of the incident nor the airport at which the F-35B was put ashore, but local media reports indicated that it happened on 14 June with the airframe having landed at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.