Congress investigates possibility of China obtaining sensitive spare parts for F-35 fighter jets

Media reports indicated that the U.S. Congress has opened an investigation into the diversion of spare parts for F-35 fighter jets, which had been sent from Australia to the United States for maintenance, but unexpectedly rerouted to Hong Kong.

According to the news website Politico, a malfunction occurred during the international transfer of F-35 jet components last summer.

The website cited three informed sources stating that the spare parts were shipped from Australia to the United States via an intermediary company for maintenance purposes, but their route was diverted to Hong Kong for unknown reasons.

The same sources said that the parts in the shipment, whose exact location is currently unknown, include a cockpit canopy equipped with classified technology.

The sources suggested that Congress may have launched an investigation into the incident due to concerns that sensitive components of the fighter jet system could have reached Chinese authorities.

For his part, the office of the U.S. Department of Defense’s F-35 Joint Program Office stated that it was aware of the malfunction in the transport of non-operational F-35 Lightning II components.

In a statement, the office clarified that it is working with U.S. officials and industry partners to recover these components, investigate the incident, and take measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin, the U.S. manufacturer of F-35 fighters, said it could not disclose information regarding the status of the shipments for security reasons, while affirming that all transportation operations are conducted with the utmost care and protection.