After five weeks of being grounded in Kerala, the British Royal Navy's F-35B jet finally took off from Thiruvananthapuram airport this morning. The fifth-generation stealth aircraft had been en route from the UK to Australia on June 14 when it developed a hydraulic fault mid-flight.
Battling bad weather and critically low fuel, the pilot diverted to the nearest safe airstrip, Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram airport, where the Indian Air Force facilitated an emergency landing and extended full logistical support.
Since then, the 100-million-pound warplane was grounded, waiting for a team of UK-based specialists to diagnose and fix the issue. The repairs were finally completed this week, and after receiving the all-clear on Monday, the jet took to the skies again early Tuesday.
The departure lit up social media. The jet led to a flood of memes once it finally left.
A user joked on X, sharing a clip of the takeoff with the caption, "F-35 after watching Saiyaara."
F-35 after watching Saiyaara pic.twitter.com/SPVheikX6g
— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) July 22, 2025
Another wrote, "The F-35 Tourism in Kerala has ended."
The F-35 Tourism in Kerala has ended!
— The Jaipur Dialogues (@JaipurDialogues) July 22, 2025
???? pic.twitter.com/af3usnntrM
Someone joked, "F-35 after seeing Political Instability (Resignation of Vice President of India- Jagdeep Dhankhar) in India."
F-35 after seeing Political Instability (Resignation of Vice President of India- Jagdeep Dhankhar) in India pic.twitter.com/v3eO1Dqa72
— Sarcasm (@sarcastic_us) July 22, 2025
"After chilling in India for ages, the F-35 finally remembered it's supposed to fly," wrote a user.
After chilling in India for ages, the F-35 finally remembered it's supposed to fly! ????
— Sir BoiesX (@BoiesX45) July 22, 2025
pic.twitter.com/tVB18RbLGP
Someone quoted the song lyrics, "I believe I can fly."
"I believe i can fly ????️"
— Beats in Brief (@beatsinbrief) July 22, 2025
???? UK Navy F-35 takes off from Trivandrum International Airport! pic.twitter.com/HT3e36z6FG
A user said, "Finally remembered it's a jet, not a Tourist."
UK's F-35
— Lt Colonel Vikas Gurjar ???????? (@Ltcolonelvikas) July 22, 2025
Finally remembered it's a jet, not a Tourist pic.twitter.com/PNbU53EVPq
"F-35 logged out of Kerala," a comment read.
F-35 logged out of Kerala. pic.twitter.com/nplS9AgyFt
— Biswatosh Sinha (@biswatosh) July 22, 2025
The F-35B belongs to the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group, which is currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific and recently conducted joint maritime drills with the Indian Navy.
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