Security concerns surround F-35 repair in Thiruvananthapuram; British team rejects Indian help

Thiruvananthapuram: Experts from England will arrive to repair the British Navy's F-35 fighter jet, which is parked at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport due to a mechanical problem. The team will have British and American technicians.

Five people from Britain had arrived in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday to find out the technical faults of the aircraft. Pilot Freddy and two other technicians, who were currently here, returned to Britain on Friday. The newly arrived British officials have taken charge of the fighter jet. They will conduct further inspections on the aircraft in the coming days.

Based on their report, a fully equipped 30-member team of experts will arrive in Thiruvananthapuram to inspect the F-35 and take the aircraft back to Britain. It is reported that technical experts from the American company Lockheed Martin Corporation, which manufactured the F-35, will also be among them.

The F-35 has been parked in an open area in heavy rain for the past six days trying to fix the problem. The British authorities have rejected the Indian Air Force's proposal to move the aircraft to a hangar unit adjacent to the airport for repairs. The British team has decided that the F-35, the military aircraft, should not be moved to a centre under another country's control.

Britain has also rejected the Air Force's proposal to set up a temporary shed-like structure to carry out the work due to the monsoon conditions. It is suggested that the reason the British team rejected the proposals may be a precaution to ensure that even the slightest bit of the secrets of the F-35's construction and operation are not leaked.

The F-35 is under CISF security at Bay No. 4 of the airport. The F-35, which took off from the warship HMS Prince of Wales, which was conducting military exercises in the Arabian Sea, landed at Thiruvananthapuram airport last Saturday night due to a fuel shortage.