Back-to-Back RAF F-35B Groundings Raise Questions About Reliability of NATO's Top Fighter |
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Chandigarh: The grounding of two RAF F-35B “Lightning II” naval variant fighters for over two months at Lajes Airport in the Azores – a Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic about 1,500 kilometres west of mainland Portugal – awaiting technical support, has highlighted growing reliability and sustainment concerns around the US-origin platform, billed as the world’s most advanced stealth combat aircraft.
The two Lockheed Martin-designed and series-built 5th generation short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B fighters were stranded at Lajes on March 9 after developing technical faults during their delivery flight from Fort Worth, Texas, to Britain, and have remained there since, awaiting repair and re-certification.
Reports regarding these disabled F-35Bs suggested possible issues involving their refuelling probes and their inability to successfully connect with the RAF’s Airbus A300 ‘Voyager’ multi-role tanker transport (MRTT), during mid-air refuelling.
In operational terms, this refers to difficulties in the fighter establishing or maintaining a stable probe-and-drogue (mid-air refuelling) connection with the tanker – a critical requirement for extending range on long ferry flights. Such issues can arise from probe deployment or locking malfunctions, alignment problems in turbulent conditions or sensor and flight-control integration constraints, which can complicate highly precise aerial refuelling operations.
As delivery of the two fighters had not yet been formally completed, the platforms technically remain the property of Lockheed Martin, pending acceptance by the UK. This also means that responsibility for their repair and re-certification was with the manufacturer, rather than the RAF, as aircraft delivery to it had not yet been completed.
The Lajes incident follows an earlier episode in mid-2025, involving a similar RAF F-35B that was stranded at Thiruvananthapuram Airport for nearly six weeks during carrier operations, before returning to service. It had been grounded due to a combination of technical and maintenance-related issues, reportedly linked to key onboard systems.
Industry sources at the time indicated that the fault required specialist diagnostics and external engineering support, highlighting the challenges of sustaining 5th-generation aircraft outside........