【By Observer News Net, Shanmao】

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a British F-35 fighter jet that made an emergency landing and was stranded at an Indian airport for more than five weeks in mid-month has taken off again after repairs. According to a spokesperson from the airport, this F-35 will head to Darwin, Australia, to join the "Silo" exercise with the "Prince of Wales" aircraft carrier.

NDTV, a television station in New Delhi, India, reported that the aircraft received permission to take off yesterday (21st) and took off this morning from Trivandrum Airport.

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NDTV's video report on the F-35's departure

The F-35B fighter jet, originally stationed on the British Navy's "Queen Elizabeth" class aircraft carrier "Prince of Wales," had to change its course due to bad weather while flying over the Arabian Sea on the 14th of this month, and then encountered a hydraulic system technical failure, forcing it to land at Trivandrum International Airport in southern Kerala, India, that evening. In the initial period after the emergency landing, due to concerns about the leakage of British military secrets, the pilot initially refused to leave the plane. The British side initially did not accept the hangar and other assistance offered by India, resulting in the aircraft being exposed to the tropical monsoon rains on the open apron. Eventually, the British side accepted India's proposal and moved the aircraft to an indoor hangar on July 6th.

British F-35B still parked on the apron of Trivandrum Airport during the rain, NDTV

F-35 being pulled into the hangar for maintenance, UK Ministry of Defence

During its stay at the Indian airport, this British F-35B became a topic on social media, with netizens joking that India had temporarily become a country with a fifth-generation fighter jet. Local tourism departments also used this trend to promote Kerala as a tourist destination where visitors "linger like this F-35."

After the aircraft landed at the Indian airport, repair personnel from the "Prince of Wales" aircraft carrier were sent to the scene to attempt repairs. However, they found it difficult to fix the aircraft using the conditions available on the carrier. Moreover, local India could not provide any usable aviation parts. Two weeks ago (July 6th), the UK Ministry of Defence sent a team of 14 engineers to India to "assess and repair" the downed aircraft. On the morning of today, the UK's senior committee also issued a statement confirming that the aircraft had successfully left India. The statement said that the British engineering team deployed on July 6th successfully repaired and conducted safety checks on the aircraft, enabling it to resume flight.

On June 17, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) of India sent armored vehicles and personnel to protect the aircraft on the apron, Asian News International (ANI)

At the time, there were speculations that if it was impossible to transport spare parts and repair teams from the homeland and fix the aircraft, the wings would have to be removed and transported by a C-17 transport plane. However, since the aircraft was successfully repaired, this method was not ultimately used.

Additionally, the Indian newspaper "The Economic Times" previously stated that during the F-35's emergency landing and stay at Trivandrum Airport, it theoretically needed to pay landing fees and at least 26,000 rupees per day in parking fees. Over the more than thirty days of detention, the total cost would exceed 900,000 rupees.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer News Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7529898884034740779/

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