The official tourism board of Kerala has taken a light-hearted jab at an unusual guest lingering on its soil, a British F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter, which has been grounded in southern India since 14 June after diverting from HMS Prince of Wales during Operation Highmast.
In a widely shared post on X (formerly Twitter), @KeralaTourism captioned a photo of the jet with a playful line: “When you visit Kerala and never want to leave.”
The state’s tourism board is known for its witty engagement with current events, but few anticipated a British stealth aircraft becoming the subject of its online banter.
Kerala, the destination you’ll never want to leave.
Thank you, The Fauxy.#F35 #Trivandrum #KeralaTourism pic.twitter.com/3lei66a5T2
— Kerala Tourism (@KeralaTourism) July 2, 2025
The aircraft had been operating as part of Operation Highmast, the Royal Navy’s flagship deployment of 2025, which sees the Carrier Strike Group conducting high-profile engagements and joint exercises across the Indo-Pacific.
The incident was raised in the House of Commons on 30 June by Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, who asked the government to clarify what was being done to secure the jet and return it to operational service. “What steps are the Government taking to recover the plane, how much longer will that take, and how will the Government ensure the security of protected technologies on the jet while it is in the hangar and out of view?” he said.
The response from Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard confirmed that the aircraft remains under close UK control, with RAF personnel guarding it around the clock. “We continue to work with our Indian friends who provided first-class support when the F-35B was unable to return to the Prince of Wales when on a flight mission,” he said. “I am certain that the security of the jet is in good hands because Royal Air Force crew are with it at all times.”
While the cause of the incident has not been officially disclosed, it is understood that a technical issue prevented the aircraft from recovering to the carrier. The Indian Air Force and civil aviation authorities granted immediate clearance for the aircraft to land, and the jet was moved to a secure hangar at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.
Engineers and logistics support teams have since been deployed to assess options for its recovery, though no timeline has yet been publicly confirmed.
The F-35B is the UK’s most advanced combat aircraft and central to its carrier strike capability. Although no sensitive systems are believed to have been compromised, the aircraft’s extended presence at a civilian location in a non-NATO partner country has prompted questions from MPs and analysts about operational risk, technology security, and resilience planning.
The Ministry of Defence has not made clear when the aircraft will return to service or whether it will be able to rejoin HMS Prince of Wales, which departed Singapore earlier this week to continue the eight-month Operation Highmast deployment. The aircraft remains under British military control at all times.
This is all getting a bit silly, get the jet airborne and tanker it to the nearest NATO base.
If it stays there any longer it’ll become a F35K!
I’m glad it is receiving this publicity, and ridicule.
I have about as much confidence in the RAF guarding it ( How many? Are they armed? When they sleep, who takes over? Were JARTS people brought in? ) whether in a hanger, or out in the open, as I have in the RAF Police and MPGS who allowed imbeciles on scooters to infiltrate as far as the flight line/ramp at Brize Norton. Our own facility.
Entering is one thing, these RAF airfields have huge perimeters, but getting that far in? Not a great example when the minister talks of security.
So words of assurance from Mr Pollard that the RAF are guarding it “around the clock” in a land far away, no ally to the UK, at a location we have no control over, does not reassure me at all.
Sorry all.
“Let it go now, let it go” “everything will be allright, it’s in safe hands now”. 🥷🥷🥷
“Trust me, I’m a polititian”.
Make my day….
In your dreams.
😆
I am more concerned about the lack of means to recover the stranded aircraft.
Turn the computer off and back on again?
Or, as my grandmother used to say…give it a good bash? 😆
And the second test is on….LOL
You have to wonder why it’s still there? Surely, any kit needed to fix it coukd be flown in on a C17 from Marham along with the engineers?
Unless it’s a more complex issue that RAF techs don’t have the ability to fix? Are there such things? Assume so.
Surely that’s the case, otherwise it would have been fixed and on its way, knowing a few of the people who maintain and fix these, it must be somewhat complicated.
Best just let them sort it and hope lessons are learnt from the whole affair.
“You got to ask yourself Punk, do you feel lucky ?”.
We all gave the RN/RAF the proper credit for having these diversion plans in place. However, the apparent lack of recovery options if it’s found to be “proper *****” seems to be a huge problem, does the capability even exist, even if its an LM capability?
We aren’t living in a world where we can just wright-off of an airframe and order 3 more anymore, we haven’t in half a century or more. So, what’s going on?
It could be just a range issue, the CSG could not wait for it and moved out of range. Now will get it in the return.
When you visit Pakisran and your Rafael will never leave.
I would have thought the makers would have stepped in. Not a good advert for India buying them
I was disappointed to see that MP Ben Obese-Jecty is not actually obese.
I’ll tell you what’s wrong with it, my lad. ‘E’s dead, that’s what’s wrong with it!
Owner: No, no, ‘e’s uh,…he’s resting.
Mr. Praline: Look, matey, I know a F-35 when I see one, and I’m looking at one right now.
Owner: No no he’s not dead, he’s, he’s restin’! Remarkable bird, the F-35, idn’it, ay? Beautiful plumage!
“You’re a very naughty boy”,
“Do you have anything without Spam “?
“Tis but a scratch”.
For younger viewers of this channel, It’s classic humour from an age long gone.
Mate, this bird wouldn’t “voom” if you put four million volts through it!
Or maybe that was the trouble…they tried.
Wasn’t there something about “Norwegian Blue” or is it “Kerala grey” now?
Quite humorous in fact! Even funnier when the RAF Reg clown and the RAFP wake up after a hard nights sleep on guard to find it being missing and being driven about on a wildlife tour with 6 fat yanks sat on the wings!
At least it didn’t leap off the carrier and sink; like the one on the last far east CSG did.