Investigation into Diversion of F-35 Lightning II Components to Hong Kong

Both Congress and the War Department are investigating the matter of missing F-35 Lightning II components. The War Department acknowledged an investigation into the unserviceable components. The components were originally intended to travel from Australia to the U.S. for repair but were rerouted while crossing the Pacific Ocean. An intermediary was transporting the equipment on behalf of Lockheed Martin before the diversion occurred.

The investigation centers on how the shipment ended up in Hong Kong, a location under the political and regulatory control of China. The current whereabouts of the components remain unknown. There is concern that China may now have gained access to the highly classified F-35 program technology.