UK fighter jet forced to make emergency landing

British F-35B near the runway at Kagoshima Airport after making an emergency landing. (Image: NHK News)

A British F-35B fighter jet embarked on a Royal Navy aircraft carrier has had to make an emergency landing in Japan. This represents the second time one of the £88 million jets has had to make such a landing on foreign soil whilst deployed with HMS Prince of Wales in the Indo-Pacific.

One of the advanced aircraft had to land at the civilian Thiruvananthapuram airport in India’s Kerala region in June due to bad weather over the Indian Ocean. The jet then reported a technical issue and was unable to return to the carrier, remaining at the airport for more than five weeks until repairs had been completed. The Express understands the F-35B was diverted to the Kagoshima International Airport in Kirishima City on Japan’s southern Kyushu Island after an engineering issue during a sortie from HMS Prince of Wales.

HMS Prince of Wales with F-35s on her flight deck docks in Singapore during her Indo-Pacific mission (Image: Getty)

It is understood that the stealth aircraft is undergoing inspection and will return to the Carrier Strike Group as soon as possible.

The jet landed at around 11.30am local time, according to reports in Japan.

NHK News reported that the pilot informed air traffic control he wished to make an emergency landing because he was experiencing a possible mechanical problem.

F-35B pictured on HMS Prince of Wales in April. (Image: Getty)

No injuries were reported, and a photo published by the outlet shows the jet parked up near the runway. 

The airport’s runway was reportedly briefly closed for about 20 minutes as the F-35B was moved to a taxiway and safety was confirmed.

It is saidthat  a handful of flights were delayed during this period.

According to NHK News, as of 5pm local time, the fighter jet remained close to the runway. 

The aircraft that has landed in Japan is not the one that had the issue in India and defence chiefs will be hoping for a quicker resolution — engineers with specialist equipment had to be flown in from the UK to carry out repairs.

Ministers confirmed the F-35B was being guarded around the clock by members of the RAF, with the status of the jet causing something of a stir on social media.

The Kerala tourism board even used it as an opportunity to promote the region, while also mocking the stranded aircraft.

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

The carrier and its jets recently participated in a major exercise in Australia before heading to Japan for the next stage of the deployment, focusing on air operations.

The Navy is linking up with a Japanese task group, and photos shared on Saturday showed a UK F-35B landing on a Japanese ship for the first time.

According to Japan’s defence ministry, HMS Prince of Wales will dock in Yokosuka on Tuesday before mooring in Tokyo later this month.