Stranded £88m UK fighter jet remains in Japan as it waits for repairs

An RAF fighter jet that made an emergency landing in Japan more than two weeks ago remains in the country as it awaits to be repaired. The £88 million F-35B was diverted to the Kagoshima International Airport in southern Japan after an engineering issue during a sortie from a Royal Navy aircraft carrier.

Engineers have arrived to carry out repairs to the stealth aircraft. It is understood they have been awaiting spares for rectification work to begin. The aircraft touched down at the civilian airport in Kirishima City on August 10 — the second time one of the jets had to make an emergency landing on foreign soil whilst deployed with HMS Prince of Wales in the Indo-Pacific. 

In June, an F-35B made an emergency landing in India due to bad weather over the Indian Ocean before reporting a technical issue. 

It was then unable to return to the carrier and remained at the airport for more than five weeks until repairs had been completed.

Sean Bell, a former Harrier fighter pilot and project manager on the F-35B programme, suggested more emergency landings are likely and that heading for land is the safest option.

He told the Express: “When we send our aircraft onto the aircraft carrier for several weeks or months, it’s perhaps inevitable that they will have the occasional emergency.

“Whilst they might still be able to recover vertically to the carrier, most of the emergency checklists we carry, will generally look for the least risky way of recovering the aeroplane.

“And if that means diverting to somewhere you can land conventionally, then that’s the prudent way to do it. 

“When you’re going with so many aircraft for so many months, I’m surprised that it’s only been two that have actually been diverted. I thought there would have been more.”

The F-35B is capable of operating from land and at sea off the Navy’s two Queen-Elizabeth class carriers, using its short-take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities.

An RAF spokesperson confirmed: “A team of engineers have arrived on the scene to assess the aircraft and start rectification works”. 

Mr Bell added the F-35B is a “relatively new platform” for the UK and safety-first is the best policy.

He explained that “extensive” emergency plans set out prior to deployment will list where pilots could land in the event of an issue.

“In that planning phase, you would be looking, specifically, where are the airfields that we are prepared to land at and where are the airfields we are not? 

“Therefore you come up with a plan on how you’re going to mitigate, not having to go to airfields you don’t want to land at.”

At least 18 UK F-35Bs were expected to be embarked on HMS Prince of Wales for its eight-month Indo-Pacific deployment, known as Operation Highmast.

The £3 billion vessel has taken part in a series of exercises and has spent the last two weeks alongside in Yokosuka, Japan.

The ship is expected to arrive in Tokyo on Thursday for a six-day visit.