Australia Says It Protects Tech, After Report F-35 Fighter Parts Diverted
The Pentagon is working to retrieve the components and investigate the incident after a canopy with stealth technology was rerouted from Australia, officials said.
- On Sept 18, Politico reported that sensitive F-35 components, including a cockpit canopy containing stealth technology, were rerouted from Australia to Hong Kong, prompting an investigation by the House Armed Services Committee.
- Lockheed Martin manages the F-35 supply chain using commercial shippers to move components, though the company declined to discuss specific shipment procedures as The Pentagon's Programme office works to retrieve the 'unserviceable' parts.
- House Armed Services Committee spokesperson Heather Vaughan said the group is 'continuing to look into the incident,' with officials scheduled to brief House staff on Sept 22 to discuss the diversion.
- The transit to Hong Kong sparked concerns about potential reverse engineering of classified stealth technology, separate from The Pentagon's long-standing 'material weakness' in tracking spare parts and equipment.
- Australia serves as the Indo-Pacific inventory hub for F-35s flown by Asian allies, and Lockheed Martin stated the firm handles every shipment with 'utmost diligence' to ensure programme security.
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According to a media report, secret technology of the state-of-the-art US aircraft F-35 may have fallen into the hands of the Chinese. A ship transport with parts of the plane should have actually arrived from Australia to the USA. However, since a diversion to Hong Kong, the cargo has been considered missing.
Australia says it protects tech, after report F-35 fighter parts diverted
SYDNEY: Australia said on Monday (Sep 21) it protects classified defence technology and has "robust" export controls following a media report that F-35 fighter jet parts were diverted to Hong Kong, sparking US security concerns.The United States operates more than 800 F-35 jets, its most costly weapons system
The US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee has launched an investigation into an incident involving the diversion of classified F-35 fighter jet components from Australia to Hong Kong, Bloomberg reports. According to available information, a shipment of F-35 parts was on its way from Australia to the United States for repairs. However, for unknown reasons, the cargo was diverted and ended up in Hong Kong. The incident has raised se…
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