US shipment of F-35 parts to Australia mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong; concerns raised over Chinese access

Australia has confirmed that F-35 fighter jet components were mistakenly diverted to Hong Kong while being shipped to the United States (US) for repairs, prompting an investigation involving US authorities and Lockheed Martin.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday that Canberra was working with the United States (US) and the aircraft manufacturer to establish what happened to the shipment.

“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,” Marles told reporters in Adelaide.

The shipment, which was being transported by an intermediary on behalf of Lockheed Martin, was originally bound for the US when it was rerouted during transit from Australia this summer, an American newspaper reported last week, citing three people familiar with the matter.

The diversion has drawn scrutiny in Washington because of concerns over China’s access to sensitive military technology as US officials have long sought to protect information related to the F-35, a fifth-generation stealth fighter.

Meanwhile, a Department of Defence spokesperson said the F-35 Joint Program Office was aware of a “shipment issue of unserviceable F-35 Lightning II components” and was working with authorities and industry partners to recover them and investigate the incident.

Lockheed Martin said it could not discuss individual shipments for security reasons but maintained that the components were “unserviceable and deemed low risk for exploitation”.

Marles said his understanding was that the missing shipment did not contain sensitive parts.

Australia’s Defence Department said it took the protection of classified and export-controlled technology “extremely seriously”.

The incident has also prompted briefings for congressional staff on key US national security committees, according to an American newspaper.

A 2023 US Government Accountability Office report previously found that the F-35 Joint Program Office did not maintain complete records on the loss and disposal of spare parts.

It cited losses of more than 1 million spare parts worth over $85 million between 2019 and 2023, with less than 2% reviewed by the programme office.

Australia received its first F-35 in 2014 and its Air Force reached full operational capability with the aircraft in 2025.