Key components of the U.S. F-35 stealth fighter were mistakenly shipped to Hong Kong, potentially falling into Chinese hands. This incident was reportedly due to a logistics error by a UPS employee who failed to check an email outlining transportation restrictions.
According to a report by Bloomberg on October 7, citing sources, parts including a radar-absorbing cockpit canopy and weapon bay door were initially scheduled to depart from Australia, transit through allied nations like South Korea and Taiwan, and arrive in San Francisco, USA.
This routing was in compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which governs the manufacture, sale, and distribution of military goods to prevent sensitive U.S. technology from reaching adversaries.
DSV A/S, a Danish logistics firm responsible for forwarding the F-35 parts, had sent an email to UPS indicating that the components should not transit through specific regions, including Hong Kong. However, a UPS employee did not see this email, resulting in the parts being routed through Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported.
The parts were originally scheduled to be sent from Australia to the U.S. for repairs at the end of May but were delayed, leading to a rushed delivery that included the Hong Kong stopover.
Sources indicated that the email from DSV may have been sent through a different IT system than the one used by the UPS employee.
Previously, Politico reported that some F-35 parts intended for repair in the U.S. had arrived in Hong Kong after deviating from their intended route across the Pacific this summer.
The F-35 supply chain operates as a large global system, with various countries sharing responsibilities for parts transport and repairs. Nineteen nations, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, Denmark, Norway, and Poland, participate in the F-35 program, utilizing shared spare parts warehouses worldwide.
Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35, oversees the entire supply chain and transports parts through commercial carriers. However, both Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Department of Defense have distanced themselves from responsibility for the transport of these parts in this incident.
Concerns are growing that the F-35 parts that arrived in Hong Kong may have been acquired by China, potentially exposing critical U.S. military secrets. The F-35 program is the largest weapon development initiative in U.S. history, recognized for its advanced stealth and avionics technology. Bloomberg noted that China has long sought to acquire F-35 technology amid strategic competition with the U.S.
Diana Maurer, who oversees the Government Accountability Office's review of the F-35 program, stated, "It is not a good thing that China has obtained the F-35 canopy," calling the incident a "big deal." She added, "Clearly, China will be busy figuring out how to respond with its own technological capabilities through reverse engineering."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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