British F-35 Fighter Jet Stuck in Kerala for 6 Days. Here's Why | Vantage on Firstpost

0:04 A $100 million jet, a sudden emergency landing, and a curious delay. Our next story has all the makings of a thriller. It's about a British fighter jet stuck in India. And not just any jet, the most advanced fighter plane on the planet, the F-35. Last Saturday, it made an emergency landing in India's Kerala state. Most of us expected it to fly out soon. After all, this was an expensive and strategically sensitive plane, but 6 days on, the F-35 is still there. Officials say if the jet cannot be repaired, it could be taken back on a transport plane. So, naturally, questions are being asked. What led to the emergency landing last Saturday? Why

0:49 hasn't the plane returned yet? And should the UK be concerned? Our next report has the answers. There it stands through relentless rain and piercing heat. All $100 million of lethal air power. What you're looking at is a British F-35 fighter jet, the most advanced war plane in the world. And don't fall for the gloomy weather because this isn't London or Manchester. It is the Tuvenantapuram airport in India's Carol Estate. How did a British fighter jet end up here? The story begins on Saturday night. A British aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, was in the Arabian Sea. This F-35 jet was part of the drills being

1:35 conducted there. At around 8:50 p.m., the plane took off from the carrier, but 30 minutes later, it was running out of fuel and unable to return to its mother ship. That's when the pilot contacted the Turuanapuram airport. Once clearance was granted, the fighter jet landed at around 9:30 p.m. The same night, a British repair crew arrived to check the aircraft. It's been 6 days since that check, but the plane remains stranded in India. So, what went wrong? Experts say the issue may not have been fuel alone. If it was, the plane would have refueled and been on its way back. They feel there could be a technical snag, perhaps with the hydraulic system.

2:20 If true, that would explain the delay because we are talking about a very complicated machine. F-35 is a fifth generation fighter jet. It is made by the American aerospace company Loheed Martin. The US has sold this plane to allies like the UK, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Israel, and Japan. This stranded plane is an F-35B version. It is designed to take off from shorter runways, making it ideal for carriers. India does not operate these F-35 planes. Plus, not every airport or air base is equipped to repair them. You will need specialized equipment which may have to receive government clearance. Logistics aside, this episode has

3:05 triggered a debate because after Saturday's emergency landing, the Indian Air Force posted this message. On having declared a diversion off an emergency, the F-35B was detected and identified by the IIAF's IACCS network and cleared for the recovery. Two words stand out in this Indian Air Force statement. Detected and identified. The F-35 is supposed to be a stealth plane. It is expected to evade radars and air defense systems. Yet, the Indian Air Force claims it identified and detected the aircraft. Clearly not as stealthy as the claims in the ananthorum. The locals have joined in on the conversations around the jet. Some

3:51 of them posted resale advertisements for the plane. Not sure the British government will agree though. We do hope the plane and its pilot can eventually be on their way. But you cannot deny the irony. The US government is hoping to sell the F-35 jet to India. New Delhi 2 is hunting for a fifth generation plane, but it hasn't decided yet. On the one hand, you have the F-35 jet. On the other, you have the Russian Su57. And if you don't want either, India is making a fifth gen plane of its own. In the middle of that decision comes this emergency landing. Not a good marketing pitch, but for now, this F-35 stands on the tarmac. A lone paramilitary officer

4:37 guarding it. Stuck and far from home. First post now available in nine languages on YouTube. English 36ion, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish. Go to settings, click on audio track, and select the language of your choice. Be the first to know what's happening around you in your first language. [Music] First post.

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