The Royal Air Force F-35B fighter jet, forced to make an emergency diversion to Japan last week, remains grounded in the Land of the Rising Sun, the UK Ministry of Defence has confirmed. This incident配资一流证券配资门户, occurring during what was intended to be the most high-profile deployment of the F-35B in UK service, has inevitably drawn increased scrutiny given the aircraft's complex history and ongoing debates about future procurement.
The stricken aircraft, belonging to the Royal Navy's flagship aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, made its unscheduled landing at Kagoshima Airport in Kirishima City, southwestern Japan, at approximately 11:30 am local time on August 10th. A mechanical issue, encountered mid-flight, necessitated the diversion. The pilot emerged unharmed, and while the airport experienced temporary disruption with six flights delayed, normal operations swiftly resumed. Following the incident, the F-35B was carefully moved from the runway to a taxiway, though the exact location of its parking remains undisclosed.
展开剩余72%While the Ministry of Defence has been tight-lipped regarding the specific technical fault that precipitated the emergency landing, they have stated unequivocally that it is unrelated to an earlier incident during the same deployment. That earlier event saw another F-35B grounded in India for over a month after experiencing its own technical issues.
Engineers from both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force have since conducted a thorough assessment of the stranded F-35B. The aircraft is currently awaiting the arrival of replacement parts, following which repairs will be undertaken.
These twin incidents involving the advanced fighter jets occurred against the backdrop of \"Operation Achillean,\" the ambitious Indo-Pacific deployment of HMS Prince of Wales. As part of this operation, the aircraft carrier embarked a potent air wing of eighteen UK-operated F-35Bs. During the exercise, the Prince of Wales operated in waters near Australia, participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre. This F-35B squadron comprised a composite force of Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots, augmented by at least one F-35B from the United States Marine Corps, as the Royal Navy routinely relies on USMC aircraft to flesh out carrier air wings.
Subsequently, HMS Prince of Wales sailed into the seas surrounding Japan. There, the F-35Bs participated in joint exercises with Japanese and South Korean forces, dubbed \"Guardian North.\" Furthermore, a significant milestone was achieved as F-35Bs from the Prince of Wales conducted deck landing qualifications on the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter carrier JS Kaga, which has been modified to operate short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft.
According to UK defense experts, these emergency diversions, while perhaps unwelcome, are not necessarily extraordinary events in the context of carrier-based aviation. Precautionary landings are often considered the prudent course of action when operating far from home, particularly when factoring in technical considerations, human factors, and the inherent risks associated with carrier recovery, such as low fuel states.
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