British F35 in India: From fake OLX listing to meme Aadhar card, all you need to know about the fighter jet stranded in Kerala

What's trending on X these days? It's the British F-35 fighter jet that made an emergency landing at Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and has continued to remain there for weeks together.

The aircraft, a part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group of the UK's Royal Navy and is reportedly worth over $110 million. But money is not the talk point.

Netizens have turned the stranded jet into an internet sensation, just for memes and hilarious messages. Noting how the aircraft ended on a fake buying-and-selling website and even got an edited Aadhar version, it is clear that social media users are not interested in serious aviation news around it. For them, it's all about the humour right now.

Fake OLX listing

In late June, days after the jet landed in Kerala, this British jet's photos were listed on a fake website pretending to be OLX, the popular Indian classifieds platform.

It was not truly put up for sale, but an user named “Donald Trumpan" simply pulled a prank.

Kerala Tourism's Joke

The Fauxy, a parody news page put up a social media post suggesting Kerala Tourism uses the British F-35 to attract tourists to the state.

With a so-called “breaking news” label, Fauxy wrote, "Kerala Tourism Uses British F-35 Parked at Trivandrum Airport for 20 Days to Promote God’s Own Country - Kerala."

The fabricated news item was shared online alongside an AI image of the stationed aircraft

Kerala Tourism replied to this in a witty way: "Kerala, the destination you'll never want to leave."

AI-Generated Images

Soon, an AI-edited image of the stranded aircraft went viral. Shared by X user Pratyush, it showed locals sitting at a roadside tea and snacks stall right next to the fighter jet. The twist? The fighter jet had hands, legs and a smiling face, with it munching on chips — a hilarious and surreal edit that netizens loved.

Meme Aadhar Card

Recently, journalist Shiv Aroor shared an image of the F-35 that was widely circulating across internet platforms. It was not just a regular photo, but a meme version resembling an Aadhar card. Yes, you read that right.

The edited image showed the jet's name as “F35B Nair,” with its location and date of birth listed as June 14, Trivandrum Airport. The quirky picture undoubtedly left users laughing.

More Details

While there were initial reports about repair work on F-35 fighter jet, recent news headlines suggest the aircraft would be dismantled and shipped back to the UK.

There are still many theories and ongoing discussions about what will happen next with the British F-35 fighter jet.

One report by Republic Media, published a few days ago, even raised a bold question — did India catch the UK spying with the F-35? This sparked a thought about possible espionage.

However, the British High Commission explained that the emergency landing happened because of bad weather, making it unsafe for the jet to fly back on the carrier. The pilot safely landed the plane at Thiruvananthapuram Airport on June 15.

But for now, the F-35 in Kerala remains more of a meme content.