A shipment of Australian F-35 fighter jet parts that was supposed to cross the Pacific for repairs in the United States instead ended up in Hong Kong, and now Australian officials, the Pentagon and members of Congress all want to know how it happened. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles confirmed the mistaken diversion, saying his government is working with the United States and Lockheed Martin to sort out what went wrong.
The diverted shipment contained an F-35 cockpit canopy, according to The Guardian. The canopy was being sent to the United States for specialized repairs. Marles, for his part, downplayed the incident, telling reporters that no sensitive parts were included in the missing shipment.
Politico reported that the shipment, bound for the United States for repairs, was rerouted in transit from Australia sometime during the summer of 2026, according to KESQ. Lockheed Martin manufactured the jet and relied on an intermediary to transport the parts shipment on its behalf. Defense industry sources cited by Australian outlet The Nightly identified that intermediary as French-owned freight operator CEVA Logistics, which handled the shipment for Lockheed Martin when the Pacific rerouting occurred, per The Nightly.
Why the Parts Were Crossing the Pacific at All
Australia operates 72 F-35A Lightning II fighters, and the parts were being sent to the United States for repairs, according to CNA. Australia is one of seven core international partner nations sharing a global spares pool for the aircraft, alongside the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark and Norway. Beyond those seven, 12 additional countries — including Japan, South Korea and Singapore — have also purchased the F-35, expanding the program's international footprint and the sheer volume of parts moving through commercial shipping lanes, the same report notes.
Hong Kong, for its part, is a special administrative region of China, and the Hong Kong government declined to comment when asked. The U.S. consulate in Hong Kong directed inquiries to the State Department.
Pentagon Confirms the Loss, Launches a Fix
The Pentagon has confirmed that some F-35 components disappeared, and the F-35 Joint Program Office said it was aware of a shipment issue involving unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components, per a Defense Department spokesperson cited by KESQ. The department said it is working with U.S. authorities and industry partners to retrieve the components, is investigating the incident, and plans to put safeguards in place to avoid a repeat. Lockheed Martin said it could not discuss the shipment's status for security reasons, but added that its teams handle every shipment with safeguards meant to protect the F-35 program and its allied partners, and that the company follows regulations set by the Defense Department and the Defense Logistics Agency.
Marles addressed the missing shipment during a press conference at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia, according to the Australian Department of Defence. RAAF Base Edinburgh serves as Australia's primary hub for air intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. Marles said Australia is examining everything that occurred on its end but stressed that the matter is ultimately one for the United States and Lockheed Martin to resolve.
Congress Already Briefed, More Sessions Expected
The incident has sparked briefings for congressional staff on key national security committees, per Politico, with State Department and Pentagon officials briefing staff back in June and additional briefings expected in the coming weeks. U.S. lawmakers are separately investigating the diversion of the parts. The episode lands amid broader unease about China's expanding aerial military power, including its development of stealth aircraft and anti-stealth air defenses, and its close watch on U.S. progress in stealth technology.
The diversion also arrives against a documented backdrop of F-35 supply chain trouble. A May 2023 Government Accountability Office audit found that an F-35 prime contractor had recorded more than 1 million lost spare parts valued at $85 million between May 2018 and October 2022, with the Pentagon reviewing fewer than 2% of those losses.
A History of Export Violations Around F-35 Technology
The Hong Kong diversion also follows a pattern of enforcement actions tied to F-35 technical data leaving authorized hands. Years earlier, in May 2021, Honeywell International reached a $13 million administrative settlement with the State Department after self-disclosing ITAR violations involving unauthorized exports of F-35 engineering drawings to foreign countries, including China, as reported by Defense News.
Australia received its first F-35 in 2014 and its air force reached full operational capability in 2025. For now, the parts' exact whereabouts and how they got diverted through Hong Kong remain under investigation by Australian, U.S. and industry officials alike.
