China holding F-35 parts diverted from Australia, Bloomberg reports

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The Chinese government has taken possession of F-35 parts that were diverted to Hong Kong while being shipped from Australia to the United States, Bloomberg reported, citing people briefed on the matter.

The shipment, handled by UPS in late May, included a cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door from a Royal Australian Air Force F-35 being sent to the US for inspection and possible repair or disposal. Both parts were supplied by Lockheed Martin and coated with radar-absorbing material used in the jet’s stealth design, two of the people said.

Bloomberg said China has not returned the components. Politico earlier reported that the shipment was unexpectedly rerouted to Hong Kong and that the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office had acknowledged a “shipment issue” involving unserviceable F-35 parts.

Australia’s Defence Minister Richard Marles later said he did not believe the missing items were sensitive and that Canberra was working with Washington and Lockheed Martin. Lockheed has described the components as unserviceable and “low risk for exploitation.”

Source: Bloomberg, with earlier reporting by Politico

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