US Congress probes diversion of F-35 parts to Hong Kong

NEW YORK – A US House committee that oversees defence policy is investigating the diversion in 2026 of potentially sensitive F-35 fighter jet components from Australia to Hong Kong, a spokesperson said.

“The committee is aware of this issue and we’ve received multiple briefings on it,” said House Armed Services Committee spokesperson Heather Vaughan, adding that the group is “continuing to look into the incident and conduct oversight”.

The Pentagon’s F-35 programme office said in a statement that “we are aware of a shipment issue of unserviceable F-35 components, and we are actively working with US authorities and industry partners to retrieve these components, investigate the incident and place safeguards to avoid a future occurrence”.

Politico reported on Sept 18 that a shipment of F-35 parts bound for the US for repairs was rerouted from Australia and ended up in Hong Kong, sparking concerns over reverse engineering of classified components of the fighter jet.

The programme office declined to disclose the components or explain the term “unserviceable”, including whether the items were damaged beyond repair. Programme officials are scheduled to brief committee staff as early as Sept 22, a US official said.

When asked to comment on the report, a spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Defence said Canberra “takes the protection of classified and export-controlled technologies extremely seriously”.

The diversion of the parts is separate from the longstanding problem of inadequate Pentagon visibility into the programme’s inventory.

For the sixth straight year, failures in tracking spare parts and equipment for the fighter jet were a “material weakness” contributing to the continuing inability to achieve a successful account of the military’s finances, according to the Pentagon comptroller and inspector-general.

Politico said an intermediary transported the parts on behalf of manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

The shipment ended up in Hong Kong, though it is not clear why it was rerouted or who currently possesses the components.

The shipment included one of the jet’s canopies, which covers the cockpit and contains stealth technology accessible only by the US and its allies, the publication said.

Lockheed Martin manages the programme’s overall supply chain and uses commercial shipping providers to transport parts.

It said in a statement that the company, “for security reasons, can’t discuss the status of specific shipments or shipping procedures. Our teams handle every shipment with the utmost diligence and safeguards to ensure the integrity of the programme and the security of our allied partners”.

Australia is the Indo-Pacific inventory hub for parts and maintenance of F-35s flown by Asian allies in the world’s largest aircraft programme. BLOOMBERG