Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 22: The British Royal Navy's F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, which had been stranded in Kerala for five weeks after making an emergency landing on June 14, flew out of the Thiruvananthapuram international airport at 10.50 a.m. on Tuesday.

The single-pilot manned jet, according to sources, is heading to its destination in Australia.

Renowned for its short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, the fifth-generation fighter -- part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group -- was returning from joint maritime exercises with the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pacific when it was forced to land in Kerala’s capital city on June 14.

The snag was identified in its hydraulic systems.

Soon after it was grounded, a team of engineers landed here, but could not rectify the snag. Then the British officials decided to fly out a special team of top aviation engineers from the US and the UK, who arrived early this month.

The special team, comprised of engineers from the British Royal Navy and aircraft manufacturers Lockheed Martin.

The jet, which was first lying in the open and was later shifted to the hangar.

The US-UK engineering team cordoned off the entire area, and in a week, they got the engine to roar again. By the end of last week, it was cleared for flying again.

On Monday, the aircraft was brought to the tarmac, and on Tuesday morning, the final preparations were also done, and at 10.50 a.m., the stranded state-of-the-art was airborne again.

The special team of engineers is also expected to leave later in the day on a special flight, which brought them here early this month.

Ever since the jet was grounded, it became a subject of discussion on social media, and there were numerous trolls about it. Even Kerala Tourism could not resist the fun. It included this rare moment in its campaign. In a post on X, it shared a message: "Kerala, the destination you will never want to leave. Thank you, The Fauxy." The post featured a spoof "review" attributed to the UK jet: "Kerala is such an amazing place, I don't want to leave. Definitely recommend."

Now with the jet having left, a sensation has again been created on social media.

(IANS)

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