Australian Defense Minister confirms parts of F-35 fighter jets were diverted to Hong Kong by mistake

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday that parts of US F-35 fighter jets were mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong, after reports that US lawmakers were investigating the incident.

“We have been informed of this matter, and we are of course working with the United States and Lockheed Martin on how we can assist in this investigation,” Marles told reporters in Adelaide.

Politico reported last week that a shipment of F-35 fighter parts that was heading to the United States for repairs was rerouted while being transported from Australia this summer, citing three people familiar with the matter.

The website stated that an intermediary was transporting the parts on behalf of Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35 fighter jets.

It was not immediately clear why the shipment was rerouted or how it reached Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.

The US Department of Defense confirmed the disappearance of some components, as a ministry spokesman told CNN that the Pentagon's F-35 Joint Program Office "is aware of a problem related to a shipment of unserviceable F-35 Lightning II aircraft components."

The F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation fighter, is widely considered among the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, while Lockheed Martin describes it as “the most lethal, most survivable, most connected and integrated fighter on the battlefield.”

A US Department of Defense spokesperson told CNN: “We are working diligently with US authorities and our industry partners to recover these components, investigate the incident, and develop preventative measures to avoid a recurrence in the future.”

Marles indicated on Tuesday that the information available to him indicates that there are no sensitive pieces in the missing shipment.

He added: "We are scrutinizing everything that happened from the Australian side, but the point I would like to emphasize here is our complete confidence in the way we dealt with this program."

He continued: "This is ultimately a matter for the United States and Lockheed, as the prime contractor responsible for managing the global supply chain."

CNN has reached out to the Australian Defense Force for more details.

Lockheed said in a statement to CNN that it could not discuss the status of the shipments for security reasons, but confirmed that it adheres to the regulations set by the US Department of Defense and the Defense Logistics Agency.

The company added: “Our teams handle each shipment with the utmost care, and take preventive measures to ensure the safety of the F-35 program and the security of our partners from allied countries.”

CNN contacted the US State Department and the Armed Services Committees of the US House of Representatives and Senate for comment.

The Hong Kong government declined to comment to CNN, while the US Consulate in Hong Kong referred the network to the State Department.

According to the Politico report, the incident sparked a series of briefings to staff of congressional committees concerned with national security, as part of the investigation into the diversion of the shipment. The report stated that officials from the State Department and the Pentagon provided briefings to congressional staff in June, with several additional briefings expected to be held in the coming weeks.

Data on the Lockheed website indicate that only 8 countries have programs for the F-35 aircraft: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, and Norway. The site also stated that Australia received its first F-35 aircraft in 2014, and its air force reached its full operational capabilities in 2025.