Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 28: Two weeks after it made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport, the UK’s F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jet continues to remain grounded, awaiting a specialised team of engineers.

In the meantime, the high-tech jet has become the subject of viral jokes and memes across social media.

Renowned for its short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) capabilities, the fifth-generation fighter -- part of the UK’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group -- was returning from joint maritime exercises with the Indian Navy in the Indo-Pacific when it was forced to land in Kerala’s capital.

Despite its cutting-edge design and engineering pedigree, the jet has been lying idle in the open for 14 days now, enduring Kerala’s punishing heat and torrential rains.

A team of British officials who had earlier flown in failed to resolve the technical issue. Now, a full-fledged team, including senior engineers from Lockheed Martin -- the American manufacturer of the F-35 -- is expected to arrive in the coming week to fix the persisting snag.

Social media, meanwhile, has had a field day. One widely shared post features an image of the stranded aircraft with a mock caption offering it “for sale,” inviting bids from interested buyers.

Another popular discussion draws a parallel with a classic Malayalam comedy film, Vellanakalude Nadu, directed by Priyadarshan and starring Mohanlal.

In the film, Mohanlal's character takes possession of a long-defunct road roller after winning a local body tender. Despite help from a bumbling mechanic (played by the late comedian Pappu), the machine refuses to start. The situation escalates when the local council chief (played by Shobana) threatens legal action unless the eyesore is removed. Eventually, a chaotic attempt to tow the roller ends with it crashing into her compound -- a sequence now being compared, tongue-in-cheek, to the ongoing plight of the British jet.

The memes have even sparked speculation over whether standard aviation parking fees will be applied to the parked aircraft.

As of Saturday, however, the F-35B remains in the same spot it landed, with no decision yet taken to tow it into a hangar.

Until the technical team arrives and finds a fix, the world’s most advanced fighter jet remains grounded -- and an unlikely star of Kerala’s meme culture.

(IANS)

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