Components of a US F-35 fighter end up in Hong Kong and the Pentagon investigates

The package had to cross the Pacific to return home. Inside were two pieces of one of the most protected aircraft in the US arsenal: the dome that covers the cockpit of an F-35 and a door to its weapons compartment. They had left Australia for the United States to be examined and then repaired or scrapped.

But the shipment ended up in Hong Kong. Months later, Washington is still trying to get it back. According to sources familiar with the incident cited by Bloomberg, the Chinese Government took possession of the pieces and still keeps them.

The story contains an irony that is difficult to conceal in Washington. Donald Trump received Xi Jinping at the foot of his plane at Andrews base on Wednesday. Both meet at the White House while the Pentagon investigates whether its aviation technology has been left within the reach of its main competitor. Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin pointed out the contradiction to Bloomberg, although she clarified that she had not received classified information about the case.

The tour begins at the end of May. UPS, an American courier company, was transporting the components of an F-35 that had been operational in Australia. The shipment passed through South Korea and, from there, was routed to Hong Kong. No one has explained the scale or the change of destination.

Politico first revealed the incident and the congressional investigations; Bloomberg later identified the transport company and assured, based on its sources, that the Chinese authorities have the parts.

The Pentagon admits a problem with a shipment of "useless" components and says it is working to recover them and investigate what happened. But a decommissioned part still reveals how a plane is made. Two sources said the dome and door contained material that absorbs radar waves.

The US Air Force has explained that the dome incorporates a thin transparent layer of this material: the pilot can look out without offering such a visible surface to the radar. The door belongs to the compartment that hides the weapons inside the fuselage. Its shape and finish also help to preserve the discretion of the device.

Having the pieces would allow us to study their composition and contrast hypotheses about the stealth design; It could also help improve sensors or future fighters. JJ Gertler, a former Congressional Research Service analyst, explained that a real piece allows verification of what has been learned by other means.

Richard Marles, Australian Defense Minister, stated on Tuesday that, according to his information, they were not sensitive components. Australia reviews what happened on its territory. In the US Congress, committees from both chambers are asking for explanations. The immediate question is where the pieces were these months; the most uncomfortable, who could access them.

The case exposes another weakness: the control of spare parts for a program spread across half the world. Australia serves as a maintenance and distribution center in the Indo-Pacific; The parts circulate between governments, contractors and transporters. In 2023, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) recorded that a contractor had accounted for more than one million lost, damaged or destroyed spare parts since 2018, worth more than $85 million.