China has acquired potentially secret components from the fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighter jet, which were unexpectedly diverted to Hong Kong during a planned transport from Australia to the United States. The incident was reported by sources cited by Bloomberg.
The shipment included a cockpit cover and weapons bay door from an Australian military F-35 fighter jet. The parts were being sent to the United States for inspection and possible repair or scrapping. Both components, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, are coated with a radar-absorbing material designed to improve the stealth characteristics of the aircraft.
According to the information, the plane carrying the parts landed in South Korea on its way to the United States before continuing on to Hong Kong. After arriving in Hong Kong, the Chinese government confiscated the components and they have not yet been returned. It remains unclear why the plane landed in South Korea, why it was diverted to Hong Kong, and whether the diversion of the parts was intentional or accidental.
It is worth recalling that the US Congress has launched an investigation into the unexpected diversion to Hong Kong of a shipment containing classified technology for the US F-35 fighter jet. A shipment of spare parts, originally sent to the United States for repair, was diverted during its transport across the Pacific Ocean from Australia. The Pentagon confirmed the loss of certain components.
Stealth technology - which is only available to the US and its allies - is considered a particularly valuable element of the missing parts. There is a possibility that by analyzing these components, China will be able to reproduce the technology through so-called reverse engineering.