Pentagon opens probe as F-35 components diverted to Hong Kong during shipment from Australia to US
The shipment was being transported by a commercial intermediary on behalf of F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin when it was rerouted while crossing the Pacific, according to a report by Politico. The Pentagon has confirmed that some components went missing
A shipment carrying sensitive components for the US F-35 fighter jet was diverted to Hong Kong while being transported from Australia to the US for repairs, prompting a Pentagon investigation and congressional briefings, according to people familiar with the matter.
The shipment was being transported by a commercial intermediary on behalf of F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin when it was rerouted while crossing the Pacific, according to a report by Politico. The Pentagon has confirmed that some components went missing, NDTV World.
It remains unclear why the shipment was diverted or who currently has possession of the equipment. The incident has raised concerns that sensitive F-35 technology could potentially become accessible to China, although there is no indication from the information available that Chinese authorities obtained the components.
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The shipment included an F-35 cockpit canopy, which covers the pilot's cockpit and incorporates technology designed to reduce the aircraft's radar signature, according to people familiar with the matter.
The canopy is made from an acrylic material and treated with a thin layer of transparent radar-absorbing material. The coating contributes to the F-35's low-observable characteristics and can degrade over time, requiring the canopies to be repaired or replaced.
Australia has F-35 support facilities but does not currently have the capability to repair the canopy coating, making it necessary to send such components to authorised facilities elsewhere, according to information provided about the shipment.
The Pentagon's F-35 Joint Program Office said it was "aware of a shipment issue of unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components."
The office said it was working with US authorities and industry partners "to retrieve these components, investigate the incident, and place safeguards to avoid a future occurrence."
Congressional committees have been receiving briefings on the incident, according to people familiar with the matter. The briefings have focused on how the components were diverted and the potential security implications.
Supply chain oversight
The incident has also drawn attention to the structure of the F-35's global supply network, which involves more than 50 facilities in the US and abroad. The Department of Defense owns the global pool of spare parts, while prime contractors manage much of the physical inventory and logistics.
Lockheed Martin manages overall supply chain operations and uses commercial shipping companies to transport parts. The company has said it follows US shipping regulations and due-diligence procedures but has declined to comment on individual shipments because of security protocols.
A 2023 report by the US Government Accountability Office found that the Pentagon did not have complete oversight of F-35 spare parts held at non-prime contractor facilities. Prime contractors maintained information on those parts rather than the F-35 Joint Program Office's own property records.
The GAO found that one F-35 prime contractor had recorded losses of more than 1 million spare parts worth more than $85 million between May 2018 and October 2022. The F-35 Joint Program Office had reviewed the circumstances surrounding less than 2% of those losses.
The same contractor had also not reported more than 900,000 additional spare parts worth more than $66 million to the F-35 Joint Program Office for review as of October 2022, the GAO said.
The report said the lack of complete records limited the Pentagon's ability to track the location, cost and quantity of spare parts and increased the risk of mismanagement of losses.
More recent GAO findings indicate that supply-chain and sustainment challenges remain. A June 2026 report said the F-35 programme continued to face shortages of spare parts and remained heavily reliant on private-sector suppliers, with capacity constraints posing risks to efforts to improve aircraft readiness.
The GAO said the F-35 Joint Program Office's updated sustainment strategy would require an estimated $13.7 billion in additional funding through fiscal year 2031 and would rely on the private sector to provide more than $7 billion in additional parts and other material.
The investigation into the diverted shipment is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the rerouting, the chain of custody for the components and whether additional safeguards are needed for the movement of sensitive F-35 equipment.
