Less than two months after a similar incident, a Royal Navy F-35B Lightning II fighter jet made an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport in Japan.
A Royal Navy F-35B Lightning II fighter jet made an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport (KOJ) in southwestern Japan on August 10, 2025, after the pilot reported a suspected mechanical issue.
The aircraft landed safely at around 11:30 a.m. local time, having requested priority clearance from air traffic control. The runway was closed for approximately 20 minutes while the jet was moved to a taxiway and preliminary safety checks were carried out, causing short delays for six commercial flights. No injuries were reported, and normal airport operations soon resumed.
The jet is assigned to HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy’s second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier and current Fleet Flagship. The carrier is deployed in the Indo-Pacific as part of Carrier Strike Group 25 (CSG25) under Operation Highmast, aimed at enhancing interoperability with allies including Japan and the United States through naval maneuvers, F-35B air missions, and joint training exercises.
In a similar incident, a Royal Navy F-35B fighter jet made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on the night of 14 June 2025.
