Jet from the British Royal Air Force Forces an Emergency Touchdown at Kagoshima Airfield

On August 10, 2025, a British Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning II fighter jet, a part of the UK's Carrier Strike Group currently in Japan, made an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on a Sunday during the joint training mission with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) and the US forces, as part of Operation Highmast.

The pilot reported an in-flight mechanical or technical issue and safely diverted the aircraft to the airport. The F-35B landed visibly intact with no pilot injuries. The runway was closed for approximately 20 minutes as the jet was moved to a taxiway, allowing normal airport operations to resume shortly thereafter.

Six commercial flights were affected by the runway closure, with takeoffs and landings delayed. The F-35B has remained at Kagoshima Airport awaiting spare parts for repair. Royal Navy and Royal Air Force engineers have assessed the aircraft, confirming the fault is unrelated to a previous technical issue that had stranded a similar F-35B in India earlier in the deployment.

The UK Ministry of Defence has provided limited detail but stated that the repair efforts are underway once parts arrive. The Japanese government has expressed its apologies for the inconvenience caused by the incident. The HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy's flagship, arrived in Japan on July 25 for the joint training mission.

This incident highlights ongoing challenges in the F-35B fleet’s reliability, logistics, and spare parts availability, raising concerns about the sustainability of global deployments of the UK's limited F-35B fleet amid pilot and maintenance resource strain. No injuries were reported, and the aircraft is being prepared to return to carrier operations once repaired.

Jet from the British Royal Air Force Forces an Emergency Touchdown at Kagoshima Airfield