UK F-35B Fighter Still Grounded In Japan after Emergency Landing during Joint Drills

A British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet remains grounded in Japan after making an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport on Sunday due to a technical malfunction.

The jet, operating from HMS Prince of Wales, landed at around 11:30 a.m. local time, prompting a 20-minute runway closure and delaying several commercial flights. No injuries or damage were reported. Japanese broadcaster NHK said the aircraft is undergoing inspection and will rejoin Carrier Strike Group 25 (CSG25) once cleared.

The Royal Navy’s flagship is leading CSG25 on an eight-month Indo-Pacific deployment and is currently engaged in joint exercises with Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force and U.S. forces. The drills, which began on August 4, are scheduled to conclude today.

This is the second emergency landing involving a British F-35B in recent months. On June 14, another jet from HMS Prince of Wales was forced to divert to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in southern India following a hydraulic fault, remaining grounded for five weeks before departing in late July.

The latest incident has drawn coverage from Chinese and Russian state media. Russia’s Sputnik India commented on X, “British F-35 makes emergency landing… Again,” while China’s Global Times cited Chinese aviation expert Wang Ya’nan as saying the events underline the aircraft’s “complex systems and demanding maintenance requirements,” especially during extended deployments far from home.

Lockheed Martin’s F-35B variant, valued at about £88 million each, features short take-off and vertical landing capability and is employed for multiple mission types, including air-to-air, air-to-surface, and electronic warfare. The UK currently operates 37 F-35Bs.

HMS Prince of Wales is scheduled to dock at Yokosuka on August 12 before sailing to Tokyo later in the month.