China Seizes Diverted F-35 Stealth Fighter Components

The United States Department of Defense is investigating the diversion and subsequent seizure of F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter components by Chinese authorities. In late May, a shipment containing a cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door—both coated in classified radar-absorbent material—was transported by United Parcel Service from a regional hub in Williamtown, Australia, to the United States for repair or disposal. The shipment stopped in South Korea before being rerouted to Hong Kong, where it was seized by the Chinese government.

The F-35 Joint Program Office confirmed the components were unserviceable and is working with industry partners to retrieve them. While Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Lockheed Martin characterized the parts as low-risk and not sensitive, U.S. officials expressed concern that the diversion allows Beijing to reverse-engineer stealth technology. The U.S. Department of State and the Pentagon began briefing congressional national security committees on the incident in June, though it gained wider public attention in September during a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Multiple congressional bodies, including the House Committee on Armed Services and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, are now reviewing the security breach. The incident has renewed scrutiny of the F-35 global supply chain, following a 2023 Government Accountability Office report that found over 1 million spare parts had been lost or damaged since 2018. China's Foreign Ministry has denied knowledge of the incident, and the components have not been returned.