Overview

• A British F-35B Lightning II from HMS Prince of Wales diverted to Kagoshima Airport on August 10 after its pilot reported a possible mechanical issue, closing the runway for about 20 minutes, delaying six commercial flights
• Japanese-led inspections are underway at Kagoshima to assess the aircraft’s engineering issue, with approval expected soon for its return to HMS Prince of Wales’ Carrier Strike Group
• This marks the second emergency diversion of an HMS Prince of Wales F-35B during Operation Highmast, following a hydraulic failure that grounded another jet in Kerala for over five weeks in June
• These in-sortie alerts underscore the sustainment demands of fifth-generation carriers operating far from home, highlighting reliance on host-nation cooperation for specialist repairs and logistics support
• Chinese, Russian state media seized on the back-to-back incidents to question the F-35B’s reliability; Britain’s expeditionary aviation capability also came under scrutiny