Oğuzcan Atış / Milliyet.com.tr – According to the information provided by sources close to the subject, the Chinese government seized the F-35 fighter jet parts, which were diverted to Hong Kong for an unknown reason while being transported from Australia to the USA. Sources talking about the process said that the cargo company UPS carried the cockpit glass, called the canopy, and the gun bay cover of an F-35 belonging to the Australian army. It was stated that the parts sent to the USA in late May for inspection, repair or destruction were produced by Lockheed Martin, the main contractor of the F-35 program. Sources speaking to Bloomberg stated that the parts seized by China were covered with a special paint that absorbs radar waves and makes the radar signature appear low.
QUOTE - According to sources, the cargo plane landed in South Korea on its way to the USA and was then diverted to Hong Kong. It is not yet clear why the plane landed in South Korea, why it was diverted to Hong Kong, or whether parts were diverted off course intentionally or as a result of an error. Officials who spoke on the subject and did not give names said that the Chinese government later seized these parts and has not returned them so far. While the spokesperson of China's Embassy in Washington did not make a statement regarding the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing stated in a statement on Thursday that they were "not aware of the situation."
'IT CAN GIVE THE CHINESE AN IDEA ABOUT WHAT THEY FACE'
Aviation photographer and researcher Cem Doğut stated that it was difficult to think that it was a 'coincidence' that the cargo plane carrying the parts of the F-35A type aircraft was directed to Hong Kong, drawing attention to the process in which the incident took place and said, "The parts went from South Korea to Hong Kong on the way from Australia to America and were confiscated there by the Chinese. If the cargo went from its normal route to Hong Kong, it is not possible for us to think that this is a coincidence." he said.
Pointing out that the canopy and weapons bay cover on the cargo plane were produced to suit the low visibility of F-35 aircraft, Doğut stated that if these parts were examined by Chinese officials, they would have an idea of what Beijing is facing when it comes to the F-35. "Their materials, coatings and production tolerances will give you an idea. More importantly, if there is radar absorbing material in the parts, this can make them much more sensitive for China." he said.
QUOTE - Stating that the F-35 parts seized by China will not reveal all the secret details about the plane, Doğut said, "It is not possible to solve the entire capability and structure of the plane from a few parts, but it can give you an idea. For this reason, it would be a great exaggeration to make a comment like 'The mystery of the F-35 is over' after China has seized the parts of the F-35." he commented.
'WHAT IS MAINLY IMPORTANT IS IN WHAT CONDITION THE SECRET PARTS ARE?'
Stating that the canopy is one of the most critical and challenging parts of the fifth generation aircraft, Doğut pointed out that the cockpit parts of warplanes are one of the places that increase the radar signature the most, and said, "The material, structure and special coating of the canopy that covers this area may be of critical importance for the general low visibility performance of the aircraft and especially the critical front line. In this sense, examining this part can be very instructive for China and provide them with new capabilities." he said.
Sharing the information that the F-35's gun bay cover is one of the largest parts in the fuselage, Doğut emphasized that the structure, material and the content of the radar absorbing material on the gun bay cover could be a great gain for China. Pointing out that all these possibilities depend on the current condition of the seized parts, Doğut said, "Of course, all of this is valid if we assume that these parts are intact and intact. These parts may have been sent for destruction or replacement due to the damage they received. The general condition of the materials is as important as themselves." he said.
'THE SYSTEM MAKES YOU OPERATE WITH MINIMUM SPARE PARTS'
Reminding that F-35 warplanes work with special software systems called ALIS and ODIN, Doğut said that these systems are digital infrastructure and software systems that manage the maintenance, logistics, mission planning and supply chain of warplanes, explaining the working logic of the system: "While these systems aim to facilitate the logistics infrastructure, old parts cannot be kept with you due to the security of the parts. This entire system was already established to allow user countries to operate with minimum spare parts." he explained with his words.
Stating that F-35 fighter jet maintenance cannot be done everywhere, Doğut said, "The maintenance of aircraft parts is done in pre-determined maintenance centers. You may have spare parts, but the repair/replacement and even destruction of defective or damaged parts are done in these special centers. Therefore, sending these parts to America is a routine process of the F-35 program." he said. Cem Doğut said that F-35 user countries had previously expressed some problems in the ALIS and ODIN systems, and gave the most controversial detail on this issue: "The biggest problem is sharing the flight data of the aircraft with America. This provides data about the operational capabilities of your Air Force." he explained.
