British F-35B Lightning II makes emergency landing in Japan

A British F-35B Lightning II fighter jet made an emergency landing at Kagoshima Airport (KOJ) in the southwestern part of Japan’s Kyushu region.

The aircraft touched down safely shortly after 11:30 a.m. local time on August 10, 2025, following a request to KOJ airport air traffic control for a priority landing after the pilot reported a suspected mechanical issue onboard.

Following the incident, the runway was closed for approximately 20 minutes while the jet was carefully moved to a taxiway and preliminary safety checks were conducted, resulting in short delays for six commercial flights. No injuries were reported, and the airport later resumed normal operations without further disruption.

Footage from NHK News, Japan’s national public broadcaster, showed the F-35B parked near the runway with no visible external damage.

鹿児島空港にF35戦闘機とみられる1機が着陸 けが人など調査中https://t.co/q4bvoCBt2V #nhk_news— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) August 10, 2025The F-35B Lightning II involved is assigned to HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy’s second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier and its current Fleet Flagship. The aircraft carrier is operating in the Indo-Pacific region as part of the United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group 25 (CSG25) under Operation Highmast. The operation focuses on demonstrating the UK’s ability to operate alongside key allies such as Japan and the US. It involves naval maneuvers, air missions with F-35B jets, and joint military training exercises.

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The joint drills are scheduled to continue until August 12, 2025. Meanwhile, Japan has begun receiving its own F-35B fighter jets, which will be deployed aboard the Japanese naval vessels Kaga and Izumo.The post British F-35B Lightning II makes emergency landing in Japan appeared first on AeroTime.

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