F-35 parts with stealth technology were mistakenly shipped to Hong Kong in May. Now China has reportedly taken possession of them

A cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door from an Australian military F-35 were being moved to the United States in late May for inspection and possible repair or disposal, people briefed on the incident said. According to Politico, they asked not to be identified while discussing private matters.

The cargo was diverted to Hong Kong while crossing the Pacific, but no explanation was given for why or how it was rerouted. A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that some components were missing and said the U.S. government was working to retrieve them.

The shipment included aircraft parts containing “stealth technology that only the U.S. and its allies have access to,” that Politico report said. On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that the Chinese government has taken possession of those potentially sensitive F-35 stealth aircraft parts. The same account claimed China had yet to return them to the United States.

Officials confirm a missing F-35 shipment as lawmakers seek further briefings

Congress is working to get to the bottom of reports that top-secret F-35 fighter jet technology was mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong over the summer.

The parts reportedly included one of the jet’s acrylic canopies that covers the cockpit, “and contains stealth technology that only the U.S. and its allies have access to.” An intermediary was transporting the parts “on behalf of F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin,” the report said. It was not immediately clear why the intermediary rerouted the parts or who then held the shipment.

If the parts ended up in China’s hands, they could give China “access to key components of the highly classified weapon system,” the report said, adding, “[a]n adversary could study the parts and potentially reverse-engineer the prized technology if it had one of the canopies.” The incident underscores broader concerns about military secrets being compromised, as a former Oregon soldier admitted to bribing officers to transmit secrets to China.  

Sources told Politico that State Department and Pentagon officials first briefed staff on the matter in June, with more briefings expected.

The Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office told Politico it was “aware of a shipment issue of unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components” and that it was working “to retrieve these components, investigate the incident, and place safeguards to avoid a future occurrence.”

Lockheed said, “Our teams handle every shipment with the utmost diligence and safeguards to ensure the integrity of the F-35 program and the security of our allied partners.” Such concerns about military readiness and leadership disputes have surfaced elsewhere, as a report detailed military leaders warning Hegseth against extending Iran operations.

A Government Accountability Office report from 2023 found that more than 1 million F-35 spare parts have gone missing in the past five years. The watchdog agency concluded the department has not been able to review spare part losses worth tens of millions of dollars because Lockheed controls the information. Bloomberg’s report that China had taken possession of the diverted materials was published the same day Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington, D.C., for a three-day visit.