‘Not sensitive’ says Australia minister as F-35 parts bound for US end up in Hong Kong

Sydney: Australia is investigating the reported diversion of F-35 parts to Hong Kong after a shipment left the country. F-35 fighter jet, F-35 parts, Australia, Hong Kong, China, United States, Lockheed Martin, Richard Marles, defence news, military news, Australia US relations

Australia is helping the United States and Lockheed Martin investigate the diversion of F-35 fighter jet components that were reportedly shipped from Australia to Hong Kong.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed the incident on Tuesday but said the missing equipment was not considered sensitive.

“We're not talking about sensitive equipment here or sensitive parts,” Marles told reporters.

The comments came after Politico reported that a shipment of F-35 components, including a canopy containing radar-resistant technology, had unexpectedly been diverted to Hong Kong after leaving Australia.

The report said the components were originally bound for the United States. It remains unclear why the shipment was rerouted or who currently has the equipment.

What Australia says about the shipment

Marles said Australia was examining what had occurred at its end of the supply chain and was working with the US and Lockheed Martin on the investigation.

He said Canberra was “confident about the way in which we've engaged with the programme”, while stressing that the matter would ultimately be handled by the US and Lockheed Martin.

Marles also said Lockheed Martin was responsible for managing the global F-35 supply chain.

Australia operates 72 F-35 aircraft and is part of a multinational spare-parts arrangement for the fighter jet.

Seven countries outside the US share a global pool of F-35 spare parts. They are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK.

Other countries that have purchased the F-35 include Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

A regional F-35 spare-parts warehouse at Williamtown near Newcastle serves as an Asia-Pacific logistics hub.

Australian officials told parliament last year that Lockheed Martin moved F-35 components in and out of the warehouse for destinations around the world, including through commercial aircraft with stopovers in Asia.

Defence officials also said Australia did not control or direct the export of the parts from the warehouse.

What Lockheed Martin says

Lockheed Martin Australia said it could not discuss its shipping procedures because of security considerations.

The company said every shipment was handled with “utmost diligence” and followed US regulations established by the Department of War.

Two sources told AFP that the wider F-35 programme was controlled by the US military.

The F-35 is the United States' most expensive weapons system and is operated by the US and numerous allied countries.

The reported diversion has drawn attention because Hong Kong is under Chinese sovereignty and the F-35 is a major advanced military aircraft programme involving sensitive technology.

However, Australia's defence minister has specifically said the parts involved were not sensitive.

The key issue now is determining how the shipment was diverted, who handled it after leaving Australia and whether any security or supply-chain procedures were breached.