UK’s Meme-Famous Fighter Jet Finally Departs India After Months of Being Grounded

A British F-35B fighter jet, which became meme-famous after being stuck in India for over five weeks, has finally departed. The aircraft landed at Thiruvananthapuram airport in Kerala on 14 June due to bad weather during an Indian Ocean sortie. Soon after, it developed a technical fault that grounded it for weeks. This prolonged stay sparked curiosity about why such an advanced jet remained stranded in a foreign country. The UK Ministry of Defence sent a 14-member engineering team on 6 July to repair the jet. The British High Commission confirmed the repairs were completed, allowing the plane to resume active service.

The F-35B jet is part of the HMS Prince of Wales fleet, currently conducting joint exercises off Australia’s coast. It is now airborne and heading to Darwin, Australia. Initially, engineers from the ship tried fixing the jet but had to call in specialists for repairs. The successful fix ended the aircraft’s unusual extended stay in India.

Also Read: Bombay High Court Overturns Convictions in 2006 Mumbai Blasts; 12 Accused Acquitted

Meme-Famous F-35B Jet Leaves India After Extended Stay Amid Viral Jokes

Speculation had arisen that if technicians failed, the F-35B jet would need partial dismantling for transport by a larger cargo plane. The $110 million stealth fighter, built by Lockheed Martin, is prized for short take-off and vertical landing. Its prolonged stay in India sparked debate in the UK’s House of Commons. Meanwhile, images of the stranded jet soaking in Kerala’s monsoon made it a viral meme sensation. Online jokes listed it for sale at a low price, humorously citing features like automatic parking and a gun to destroy traffic violators. Social media users humorously suggested the jet deserved Indian citizenship or that rent should be charged, with the Kohinoor diamond as payment.

Kerala’s tourism department joined the fun, posting an AI-generated image of the jet among palm trees. They joked the jet loved “God’s Own Country” and was reluctant to leave. After more than a month, the jet finally departed. Social media users bid it “adios” after its unexpected Indian “holiday.” The F-35B’s unique stay will be remembered as much for memes as for military interest.

Also Read: Is Chat GPT emerging as the next Google with 2.5 billion daily prompts?