Jet with F-35 Designation Halted in Japan Following Technical Issue After Incident in Kerala - Genetic Examination Report
In a series of unexpected events, multiple F-35 fighter jets, particularly the UK’s F-35B variant, have made emergency landings due to technical malfunctions during flight operations. The latest incident occurred on August 10, 2025, when a British F-35B had to make an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport in Japan.
The pilot was unharmed, and the aircraft landed safely, but it remains grounded awaiting spare parts. This incident highlights ongoing reliability and maintenance challenges with the F-35B fleet, exacerbated by logistical shortfalls such as shortages in spare parts and pilot availability.
These issues have been a recurring problem. In June 2025, another British Navy F-35 made an emergency landing in Kerala, India, and remained there for over 35 days due to technical faults. This is the second such incident involving a British Navy F-35 in two months.
Prior problems include a similar F-35B being stranded in India for over a month due to technical faults and a 2021 crash of a UK F-35B into the Mediterranean Sea soon after takeoff. A 2025 Pentagon report confirms that the overall reliability, maintainability, and availability of the US F-35 fleet still fall below expectations.
These technical issues have not gone unnoticed. International media outlets like China’s Global Times and Russia’s Sputnik have mocked the jet’s reliability. Geopolitical rivals have also exploited these incidents for propaganda purposes.
Regarding international sales under President Trump, the search results did not provide direct information on sales or export policy changes attributable specifically to Trump’s administration. However, it is understood from broader knowledge that the Trump administration actively promoted F-35 exports to US allies as part of expanding American defense influence, resulting in several countries acquiring the jet. The ongoing operational issues noted above likely complicate current deployment and sale perceptions but do not appear directly linked to Trump-era sales policy per the recent incident-focused reports.
Despite aggressive sales tactics, the F-35 has failed to attract enough buyers. One reason for the deal failures is the high tariffs imposed by Trump, which strained relations. Trump fears that if Russia secures major international deals, the F-35's market share will collapse.
The F-35 that landed in Japan was part of a joint military exercise. The emergency landing occurred around 11:30 am. Since its commissioning in 2015, the F-35 has been involved in over 30 incidents, including three crashes. Trump has offered the F-35 to the UAE, India (twice), and Türkije, but deals did not materialize due to various reasons. Social media users are poking fun at the repeated emergency landings, with some joking that the F-35 pilot will now enjoy sushi in Japan, a reference to the F-35's previous emergency landing in Kerala, where it is assumed the pilot may have tried dosa.
- The recurring emergency landings of F-35 fighter jets, such as the recent incident in Japan and previous incidents in India, have led to scrutiny of the aircraft's policy-and-legislation, with international media outlets, like China’s Global Times and Russia’s Sputnik, criticizing its reliability.
- In the realm of general-news, the ongoing operational issues with the F-35, noted by the Pentagon's 2025 report, have not only affected its maintainability and availability but also impacted its sports-analysis, as deals with potential buyers, such as the UAE, India, and Türkije, failed to materialize due to high tariffs and other reasons.
