Hong Kong News Network, September 21 — This summer, sensitive technologies related to the F-35 fighter jet were reportedly “accidentally transferred to Hong Kong,” prompting an investigation by the U.S. Congress. This news was first reported by the U.S. news website Politico on September 18.

Three sources familiar with the matter revealed that a batch of F-35 components originally scheduled to be shipped from Australia to the United States for maintenance was diverted during its trans-Pacific transit. The Pentagon confirmed that some components are missing. These components were transported by an intermediary on behalf of F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, but ultimately arrived in Hong Kong. At present, it remains unclear why these devices were diverted, nor is it known who currently possesses them.

This is a photo of the U.S. Capitol taken in Washington, D.C., on July 3, 2025. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

According to a report by the U.S. news website Politico on September 18, officials from the U.S. State Department and the Pentagon first briefed congressional staff in June of this year, and additional briefings are expected to be held in the coming weeks.

Two people familiar with the matter revealed that this shipment included an F-35 fighter jet canopy. This component covers the cockpit and incorporates stealth technology accessible only to the United States and its allies. If the adversary obtains one of the canopy modules, they could analyze these components and potentially reverse-engineer this “valuable technology.”

The Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office stated in a release that it has “been informed of transportation issues affecting a batch of F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft components that are not functioning properly.”

The office added that it is working closely with U.S. authorities and industry partners to “recover these components, investigate the incident, and implement safeguards to prevent similar occurrences in the future.”

A F-35 warplane waits for aerial refueling as it takes part in an exercise on October 4, 2024. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

It is understood that the F-35 supply chain is a huge global system, relying on facilities in many countries for the transportation and maintenance of parts. Although there are F-35 repair centres in Australia, none are currently capable of repairing the canopy.

The F-35 manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, managed the project's overall supply chain and used commercial transportation service providers to ship parts.

Lockheed Martin said in a statement that the status of cargo shipments could not be discussed for security reasons, but that the company abides by all U.S. regulations governing the transportation of aircraft parts.

The company stated: “Our team handles each shipment with the utmost care and implements safeguards to ensure the integrity of the F-35 program and the safety of our allied partners.”

It is reported that the canopy is a key component of the F-35's stealth capability. It is an acrylic resin transparent cover covering the cockpit, and the surface is coated with a thin layer of transparent radar absorbing material, which helps the fighter avoid enemy radar detection.

According to the U.S. Air Force, this stealth protection material may age over time, so more than 1300 F-35 fighters produced by the United States and its allies need to repair or replace the canopy.

On October 19, 2019, at the Houston Air Show in the United States, the US military F-35 fighter jets performed an air show. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

The participating countries of the F-35 project include the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, Norway and Poland, and the circulation of aircraft parts adopts a unique management method. Countries can use shared spare parts libraries stored around the world. Before the parts are installed on the fighter, their ownership is owned by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Although the U.S. Department of Defense has strengthened its supervision of the F-35 supply chain in recent years, the U.S. Department of Defense is not responsible for the registration and accounting of parts in the shared spare parts library. Lockheed Martin is responsible for this work.

A 2023 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that more than 1 million F-35 spare parts were unaccounted for in the previous five years. The watchdog concluded that because the information was held by Lockheed Martin, the Department of Defense had been unable to review the loss of spare parts worth tens of millions of dollars.

The report said: "The F-35 Joint Project Office did not track these spare parts or enter them into an asset accounting system that can record and store property movements in real time. This information is maintained by the main contractor."

Shortages of spare parts mean that F-35 fighter jets are often forced to be grounded. According to a report released this year by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, despite rising maintenance costs, the F-35 has not met its performance goals, and performance is "on a downward trend".

The project is expected to be the most costly in the world, with the Pentagon expecting to cost nearly $2 trillion million over its lifetime.

This is an aerial view of the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, taken on February 19, 2020. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

The US "Politician" News Network reported on September 18 that the goods were accidentally transferred to Hong Kong, China, which means that they may enter the scope of Beijing's influence.

J.J. Gertler, a former staff member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee and a former military aviation analyst at the Congressional Research Service, cast doubt by saying: “It is no secret that China has been actively attempting to obtain F-35 data through electronic espionage and other means.”

The State Department declined to comment. The Chinese Embassy in the United States said it was not aware of the incident. A government spokesman said he would not comment on individual incidents.

As early as 2015, information disclosed by Snowden, a former employee of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), showed that the so-called "Chinese cyber spy" stole F-35 design information.

At the time, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the accusations were groundless.

On the issue of cybersecurity, China has consistently emphasized that it is a victim of cyberattacks. Cybersecurity is a common challenge facing all countries today. China stands ready to work with all nations to build a cyberspace that is peaceful, secure, open, and cooperative.

Hong Lei pointed out that, on the contrary, according to materials disclosed by relevant parties, some countries have a less-than-sterling record when it comes to cyberattacks. We hope that, on the issue of cybersecurity, no country will make baseless accusations or fabricate charges; instead, all should adopt a cooperative stance and work together to prevent cyberattacks. (The end)