Australia confirms US fighter jet parts were mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong

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Australia’s defense minister said Tuesday that F-35 fighter jet parts had been mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong, following reports US lawmakers were investigating the mishap.

“We’ve been made aware of this, and we’re obviously working with the United States and Lockheed in terms of how we can assist in this investigation,” Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters in Adelaide.

Politico first reported last week that the F-35 parts shipment bound for the United States for repairs were rerouted in transit from Australia this summer, citing three people familiar with the matter.

An intermediary was transporting the parts on behalf of F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, the outlet reported.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the shipment was rerouted or how it ended up in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.

The Pentagon confirmed the disappearance of some components, with a Department of Defense spokesperson telling CNN that Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office was “aware of a shipment issue of unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components.”

The fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II is largely seen as the world’s most advanced fighter jet, with Lockheed billing it as the “most lethal, survivable and connected fighter aircraft.”

“We are actively working with U.S. authorities and industry partners to retrieve these components, investigate the incident, and place safeguards to avoid a future occurrence,” the Defense Department spokesperson told CNN.

Marles said Tuesday it was his understanding that no sensitive parts were in the missing shipment.

“We are examining very much everything that has occurred at the Australian end, but the point I would make here is that we are confident about the way in which we’ve engaged with the program,” Marles said.

“This is ultimately a matter for the US and Lockheed, as its prime contractor and the contractor that is responsible for managing the global supply chain,” he added. CNN has reached out to the Australian Defence Force for more detail.

In a statement to CNN, Lockheed said it couldn’t discuss the status of shipments for security reasons but said it follows regulations set by the US Defense Department and the Defense Logistics Agency.

“Our teams handle every shipment with the utmost diligence and safeguards to ensure the integrity of the F-35 program and the security of our allied partners,” Lockheed said.

CNN has reached out to the State Department and the US House and Senate Armed Services committees.

The Hong Kong government declined to comment to CNN. The US consulate in Hong Kong directed CNN to the State Department.

According to the Politico report, the incident has sparked a series of briefings for congressional staff on key national security committees as it investigates the diversion. State Department and Pentagon officials briefed congressional staff in June, with multiple additional briefings expected in the coming weeks, it reported.

Only eight countries have F-35 programs: the US, UK, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark and Norway, according to Lockheed’s website . Australia received its first F-35 in 2014, with its Air Force reaching full operational capability in 2025, the website said.

China has been aggressively expanding its aerial military power, scaling up development in stealth aircraft and anti-stealth air defenses, and closely watching US progress as it seeks to replicate its advantages, a June US Air Force report said.

Ken Cedeno/AFP/Getty Images

澳大利亚国防部长周二表示，F-35战斗机的零部件被错误地运往了香港。此前有报道称，美国议员正在调查这起事故。

“我们已经了解此事，显然我们正在与美国和洛克希德公司合作，探讨如何协助进行这项调查，”国防部长理查德·马尔斯在阿德莱德告诉记者。

Politico 上周率先报道，今年夏天从澳大利亚运往美国进行维修的 F-35 零部件在运输途中被改道，报道援引了三位知情人士的话。

据该媒体报道，一家中间商代表F-35制造商洛克希德·马丁公司运输这些零部件。

目前尚不清楚这批货物为何改道运输，也不清楚它最终是如何到达中国特别行政区香港的。

五角大楼证实了一些部件的失踪，国防部发言人告诉 CNN，五角大楼的 F-35 联合项目办公室“已经意识到一批无法使用的 F-35 闪电 II 部件的运输问题”。

第五代 F-35 闪电 II 战斗机被普遍认为是世界上最先进的战斗机，洛克希德公司称其为“最具杀伤力、生存能力最强、互联性最高的战斗机”。

“我们正在积极与美国当局和行业伙伴合作，以回收这些部件，调查这起事件，并采取保障措施，避免将来再次发生此类事件，”国防部发言人告诉 CNN。

马勒斯周二表示，据他了解，丢失的货物中没有敏感部件。

“我们正在仔细审查澳大利亚方面发生的一切，但我在这里想表达的是，我们对我们参与该项目的方式充满信心，”马勒斯说。

他补充说：“这最终是美国和洛克希德·马丁公司的问题，因为洛克希德·马丁公司是美国的主要承包商，也是负责管理全球供应链的承包商。” CNN已联系澳大利亚国防军以获取更多细节。

洛克希德公司在给 CNN 的一份声明中表示，出于安全原因，该公司无法讨论货物运输情况，但表示该公司遵守美国国防部和国防后勤局制定的规章制度。

洛克希德公司表示：“我们的团队以最严谨的态度和最周全的防护措施处理每一批货物，以确保 F-35 项目的完整性以及我们盟国伙伴的安全。”

CNN已联系美国国务院以及美国众议院和参议院军事委员会。

香港政府拒绝就此事向CNN置评。美国驻香港总领事馆则建议CNN联系美国国务院。

据Politico报道，此次事件引发了一系列针对国会关键国家安全委员会工作人员的简报会，以调查这起挪用事件。报道称，国务院和五角大楼官员已于6月向国会工作人员进行了简报，预计未来几周还将举行多次简报会。

据洛克希德·马丁公司网站显示，目前只有八个国家拥有F-35项目：美国、英国、澳大利亚、意大利、荷兰、加拿大、丹麦和挪威。该网站还称，澳大利亚于2014年接收了首架F-35战机，其空军将于2025年达到全面作战能力。

美国空军6月份的一份报告称，中国一直在积极扩大其空中军事力量，加大隐形飞机和反隐形防空系统的研发力度，并密切关注美国的进展，以期复制其优势。