Missed email sent sensitive F-35 parts into Chinese hands, Bloomberg reports
Sensitive components from a US F-35 stealth fighter ended up in Chinese government hands after a UPS employee missed an email warning against routing the shipment through Hong Kong, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 7.
The shipment included an F-35 cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door, both coated with radar-absorbing material used to reduce the aircraft's detectability.
Freight forwarder DSV, working on behalf of F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, had warned UPS that the components must not transit through certain countries under US arms export regulations.
However, the warning may have been sent through a different IT system from the one used by the UPS employee handling the shipment, according to a person briefed on the incident.
The parts were originally scheduled to travel from Australia to San Francisco via South Korea and Taiwan. After the shipment was delayed leaving Australia, it was rerouted through Hong Kong in an attempt to speed up delivery.
The components, which were being shipped for possible repair or disposal in late May, subsequently came into the possession of Chinese authorities.
Pentagon officials outlined the circumstances during a Sept. 29 briefing for staff of the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees.
The incident has triggered investigations by the Pentagon and State Department, while US lawmakers have called for a review of the military supply chain.
The Pentagon has described the components as unserviceable, but experts have warned that their radar-absorbing coatings could provide valuable information about the F-35's stealth technology.
Lockheed Martin said it was working with logistics partners to strengthen oversight and prevent similar incidents.