A British F-35B stealth fighter jet was forced to land at Kagoshima Airport in south-western Japan on Sunday after a technical fault, according to Kyodo News. The incident happened at about 11.30 am local time, briefly shutting the runway for around 20 minutes. Several commercial flights were delayed, but no one was hurt.
The aircraft was flying from the Royal Navy carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which is in the Indo-Pacific as part of joint exercises with Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force and the US military. The drills began on 4 August and will continue until Tuesday. HMS Prince of Wales has been on deployment since April, visiting ports across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia.
F-35B: A pattern of technical faults
This is the second incident involving a UK F-35B in less than two months. On 14 June, another jet from HMS Prince of Wales had to land at Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala after a hydraulic fault. That aircraft remained grounded for over five weeks before being cleared to fly back to the UK.
The British High Commission thanked India for its help during that episode. “The UK remains very grateful for the support and collaboration of the Indian authorities and airport teams throughout the repair and recovery process,” a spokesperson said. “We look forward to continuing to strengthen our defence partnership with India.”
Media reactions from China and Russia
The latest fault has drawn sharp commentary from state-run media in China and Russia. Russia’s Sputnik India posted on X, “British F-35 makes emergency landing... Again. Just weeks after one F-35 was stranded in India, another was forced into an emergency landing at Japan’s Kagoshima Airport. Collecting emergency landings like souvenirs.”
China’s Global Times suggested the incidents “underscored the F-35B’s overly complex systems and highly demanding maintainability”, adding that UK sailors “could be struggling to deal with in far seas deployments.” Quoting Chinese aviation expert Wang Ya’nan, the paper said the F-35B is the most technically complex model in the F-35 family and faces “significant maintenance challenges” during prolonged operations away from home bases.
The paper also claimed HMS Prince of Wales has faced “technical issues” on its deployment despite its mission to showcase Britain’s fast-jet capability. It noted the aircraft stranded in India became “a subject of jokes and memes”, questioning “how such a modern aircraft could remain stuck in a foreign country for so long.” The commentary further argued that Britain’s carrier missions follow “the US’ global strategy” and depend on “US-made equipment”, warning that London should “reconsider its policy of accommodating US interests.”
Current status and next port call
Japanese reports say the jet involved in the Kagoshima landing is different from the one that was grounded in India. It is now under inspection, guarded by RAF personnel, and is expected to rejoin the carrier strike group once cleared. HMS Prince of Wales is scheduled to dock at Yokosuka on Tuesday before heading to Tokyo later in the month.
The F-35B, built by Lockheed Martin, is a fifth-generation stealth fighter capable of short take-offs and vertical landings. These features give it flexibility in carrier operations, but also mean it requires intensive maintenance, particularly on extended deployments far from support facilities.
(To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow ET Trending)
The aircraft was flying from the Royal Navy carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which is in the Indo-Pacific as part of joint exercises with Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force and the US military. The drills began on 4 August and will continue until Tuesday. HMS Prince of Wales has been on deployment since April, visiting ports across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia.
F-35B: A pattern of technical faults
This is the second incident involving a UK F-35B in less than two months. On 14 June, another jet from HMS Prince of Wales had to land at Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala after a hydraulic fault. That aircraft remained grounded for over five weeks before being cleared to fly back to the UK.
The British High Commission thanked India for its help during that episode. “The UK remains very grateful for the support and collaboration of the Indian authorities and airport teams throughout the repair and recovery process,” a spokesperson said. “We look forward to continuing to strengthen our defence partnership with India.”
Media reactions from China and Russia
The latest fault has drawn sharp commentary from state-run media in China and Russia. Russia’s Sputnik India posted on X, “British F-35 makes emergency landing... Again. Just weeks after one F-35 was stranded in India, another was forced into an emergency landing at Japan’s Kagoshima Airport. Collecting emergency landings like souvenirs.”
China’s Global Times suggested the incidents “underscored the F-35B’s overly complex systems and highly demanding maintainability”, adding that UK sailors “could be struggling to deal with in far seas deployments.” Quoting Chinese aviation expert Wang Ya’nan, the paper said the F-35B is the most technically complex model in the F-35 family and faces “significant maintenance challenges” during prolonged operations away from home bases.
The paper also claimed HMS Prince of Wales has faced “technical issues” on its deployment despite its mission to showcase Britain’s fast-jet capability. It noted the aircraft stranded in India became “a subject of jokes and memes”, questioning “how such a modern aircraft could remain stuck in a foreign country for so long.” The commentary further argued that Britain’s carrier missions follow “the US’ global strategy” and depend on “US-made equipment”, warning that London should “reconsider its policy of accommodating US interests.”
Current status and next port call
Japanese reports say the jet involved in the Kagoshima landing is different from the one that was grounded in India. It is now under inspection, guarded by RAF personnel, and is expected to rejoin the carrier strike group once cleared. HMS Prince of Wales is scheduled to dock at Yokosuka on Tuesday before heading to Tokyo later in the month.
The F-35B, built by Lockheed Martin, is a fifth-generation stealth fighter capable of short take-offs and vertical landings. These features give it flexibility in carrier operations, but also mean it requires intensive maintenance, particularly on extended deployments far from support facilities.
(To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow ET Trending)
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