F-35 stealth parts, were rerouted from Australia to Hong Kong

[william]

F-35 stealth parts, including a classified radar-absorbing canopy, were rerouted from Australia to Hong Kong this summer. The Pentagon says some components are missing.

Politico reports the shipment was traveling from Australia to the US for repair when an intermediary handling logistics for Lockheed Martin diverted it across the Pacific to Hong Kong instead. Nobody has publicly explained why. Nobody knows who currently has the parts.

The canopy matters specifically. It's coated with a classified radar-absorbent material that makes the F-35 invisible to radar. That coating is available only to the US and its partners. A physical canopy lets an adversary study and potentially reverse-engineer the material, something stolen digital blueprints alone can't fully replicate.

Congress has been receiving briefings since June. The Pentagon confirmed the incident and said it's working to retrieve the parts and add safeguards. Lockheed said it follows all regulations but won't discuss specific shipments. The Chinese Embassy said it wasn't familiar with the matter.

For context: a 2023 GAO report found over 1 million F-35 spare parts had gone missing over five years, and the Pentagon couldn't audit the losses because Lockheed holds the data.

The most advanced stealth fighter ever built. A classified coating that makes it invisible. Last seen in Hong Kong.

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