Britain's Stuck F-35B Leaves India After Five Weeks of Intrigue

The F-35B, stranded at Thiruvananthapuram airport for over five weeks, has finally taken off for Darwin, Australia. The aircraft evoked humor and curiosity as it was fixed by a UK engineering team after an emergency landing due to bad weather.

The British F-35B fighter jet, which had become the subject of memes and jokes during its unexpected five-week stay at Thiruvananthapuram airport in India, has finally soared into the skies en route to Darwin, Australia. The advanced fighter was diverted to the Indian airport on June 14 after encountering severe weather during a mission in the Indian Ocean, before ultimately developing a technical malfunction.

The situation drew international attention, sparking lighthearted speculation on how a cutting-edge military aircraft could remain stranded in a foreign land for so long. On Tuesday morning, the British High Commission confirmed that the aircraft had successfully departed, after a UK engineering team, which was dispatched on July 6, completed the necessary repairs and safety checks.

The F-35B is part of the Royal Navy's fleet on board HMS Prince of Wales, however, officials have not disclosed the specific reason for its flight to Darwin. Yet it is presumed that the carrier is still engaged in operations in the region, prompting the jet's latest journey.

Prior to its departure, the lessons learned from the stranded aircraft included talks of deploying a larger cargo plane, such as a C-17 Globemaster, if repairs had not been possible. F-35Bs are state-of-the-art stealth fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin, valued at approximately $110 million (£80 million) each, notable for their vertical landing capabilities.

The jet’s unusual predicament made waves on social media, where it was humorously nicknamed the "lonely F-35B". Memes and jokes proliferated, with one viral post humorously listing it for sale online at an astonishingly low price of $4 million, claiming it came with features such as "automatic parking" and "an automatic gun to destroy traffic violators."

Several users whimsically suggested the jet had earned Indian citizenship given its prolonged stay, while others remarked that the state government should charge it rent, creatively proposing the Kohinoor diamond as a form of payment. Kerala's tourism department even joined in on the amusement, joking that the jet, like many tourists, seemed reluctant to leave the state famously marketed as "God's Own Country."

As the jet departed, social media users quickly sent off messages of farewell, noting that it had enjoyed what felt like an extended vacation in the picturesque landscapes of Kerala.