Skilled engineers are analysing the fault which grounded a fighter jet operating from the Royal Navy flagship.

An F-35B Lighting aircraft suffered a “malfunction” while operating on HMS Prince of Wales’ Indo-Pacific deployment. The warplane was forced to make an emergency landing at Kagoshima International Airport, Japan, at roughly 11.30am local time.

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) previously confirmed the F-35 had suffered an “engineer issue”. This is the second time a fighter jet has had to be grounded during a mission, with one warplane developing a mechanical problem after it was forced to land at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala, India, on June 14. It took over a month for the warplane to be fixed for future operations.

The MoD has released further details after an F-35B fighter jet malfunctioned while operating in Japan. Pictured: 617 Squadron F-35B, Lightning II pilot preparing his equipment before climbing into his aircraft at Guam International Airport during Operation Hightower. The programme will showcase the integration of RAF Voyager tankers with F-35B Lightning jets deployed from Carrier Strike Group.. | UK MOD Crown copyright

placeholder image — The MoD has released further details after an F-35B fighter jet malfunctioned while operating in Japan. Pictured: 617 Squadron F-35B, Lightning II pilot preparing his equipment before climbing into his aircraft at Guam International Airport during Operation Hightower. The programme will showcase the integration of RAF Voyager tankers with F-35B Lightning jets deployed from Carrier Strike Group.. | UK MOD Crown copyright

An MoD spokesperson confirmed that this malfunction was unrelated to the fault encountered in India. The pilots were able to divert the aircraft and land without incident.

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Talented engineers from the Royal Navy and RAF are currently assessing the aircraft, the spokesperson added. A plan to rectify and recover the aircraft will be made once the issue was been identified. It is hoped it can be returned to HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group as soon as possible.

The F-35B was conducting a sortie at the time of the incident, which involves an aircraft manoeuvring from a defensive to an offensive position. This diversion forced Kagoshima International Airport to close the runway for around 20 minutes. Media from the scene showed the jet parked near the runway at 2pm local time with no visible damage.

HMS Prince of Wales - alongside Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless - is currently at Yokosuka Naval Base and will spend the next three weeks alongside Japan.