Pentagon Investigating How F-35 Fighter Jet Parts Bound for US Were Diverted

The Pentagon is investigating how F-35 components bound from Australia to the United States were inexplicably rerouted to Hong Kong. The shipment, handled by an intermediary for Lockheed Martin, included a cockpit canopy - an acrylic bubble coated with a thin layer of transparent radar-absorbent material that contributes to the jet’s stealth - and it remains unclear who now holds the parts or why the route changed. The F-35 Joint Program Office and the Office of the Secretary of War said they are working with U.S. authorities and industry partners to retrieve the components, investigate the incident and add safeguards. Lawmakers and national-security committees have opened inquiries and received briefings, citing the risk that Beijing, which exerts control over Hong Kong, can study or replicate classified technology.

The diversion underscores chronic supply-chain vulnerabilities in a program that moves thousands of parts globally through a shared pool managed by Lockheed and commercial shippers; some overseas depots, including in Australia, cannot repair canopies. A 2023 Government Accountability Office report found more than one million spare F-35 parts missing over five years and faulted the lack of an accountable property system for tracking parts. With the program projected to cost nearly $2 trillion over its lifespan, officials say tighter oversight and rapid recovery of the diverted components are priorities to prevent compromise of sensitive systems.