British fighter jet still being repaired: Kerala

Three operatives of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), including central committee (CC) member Gajarla Ravi alias Uday, were killed in a fierce encounter with Greyhounds, the elite anti-Maoist forces of Andhra Pradesh police, in the forests of Maredumilli in Alluri Sitarama Raju district on the early hours of Wednesday, police said.

- HT Correspondent

KOCHI: The British F-35B fighter jet, which made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport in Kerala on the night of June 14, remained grounded on the tarmac as its repair has not been completed, an airport official said.

A round-the-clock team of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel guards the advanced jet on the airport.

The airport official said on Wednesday, "We were informed that there is a problem with the jet's hydraulic system for which repairs are underway."

The jet was scheduled to depart after repairs on Tuesday, but there is a delay. Once it is repaired, it has permission to leave the airport.

The official said that a British Royal Navy chopper had arrived on June 15 with spare parts, a technical crew, and an additional pilot to assist with the jet's repair. The pilot who landed the jet in Thiruvananthapuram on June 14 has returned to the UK's Carrier Strike Group stationed aboard HMS Prince of Wales, located around 100 nautical miles from the Indian coast, as part of official work shift change.