August 10 at Kagoshima Airport in South-Western Japan, a British F-35B Stealth fighter aircraft had to make an emergency landing, which disrupted the operation of commercial flights for some time. The incident occurred at around 11:30 am when the aircraft caused technical fault during the flight. The runway was closed for about 20 minutes after the aircraft landed safely, affecting both arrival and departure. Airport officials confirmed that no casualties were reported and the normal operations started shortly after. The British fighter aircraft was participating in Japan’s maritime self -defense force and joint military exercises with the US Army, which began from August 4 and will continue until next Tuesday. Britain has deployed an aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific region under these exercises.
Second emergency landing in recent months
This is the second emergency landing of the British F-35B in recent months. Earlier, in June 2025, a similar jet made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram, India, as it could not return to the British Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales due to a malfunction in the hydraulic system. The aircraft stayed in India for more than a month and eventually flew on 22 July after extensive repair with the significant assistance of the Indian Air Force and local airport officials.
Under grateful British Navy International Support
Following India’s incident, a spokesman for the British High Commission had expressed deep gratitude to the Indian authorities, highlighted the support and cooperation in the repair and recovery of the aircraft, and confirmed the UK’s intentions to strengthen the defense partnership.