UPS logistics error sent sensitive F-35 jet parts to Hong Kong

A package containing sensitive components from an F-35 stealth fighter jet ended up in Hong Kong after a worker at United Parcel Service bypassed export rules in an effort to speed up transit, according to details disclosed to congressional staff.

The shipment, which left Australia running behind schedule in late May, was bound for San Francisco. It held an F-35 cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door, both treated with radar-absorbing coating that helps the fighter evade detection. Instead of travelling through US allies South Korea and Taiwan as originally booked, the consignment was rerouted through Hong Kong, where Chinese authorities seized control of the hardware.

How the diversion happened

Freight forwarder DSV, working on behalf of prime contractor Lockheed Martin, flagged the shipment under the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR. Those rules explicitly forbid sensitive military hardware from entering non-cleared jurisdictions.

However, a UPS employee handling the consignment failed to heed the export controls. Pentagon officials told staff from the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees in a briefing on 29 September that the critical alert may have been transmitted over an IT platform separate from the system the UPS worker was using to process the dispatch. Seeking a faster connection, the handler directed the crate toward Hong Kong.

Spokespeople for both UPS and DSV declined to comment on the incident. Lockheed Martin, which oversees the global spare-parts pool supplying 20 nations flying the F-35, said its logistics choices align with government standards and noted that it is collaborating with carriers to strengthen oversight and prevent future mistakes.

Security fallout and investigations

The misstep has triggered sharp alarm across Washington. While the Department of Defense described the diverted components as "unserviceable" and said it is working with industry partners to retrieve them, aviation specialists warn the damage is already done.

Diana Maurer, who oversees military sustainment reviews at the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, warned that Chinese engineers would swiftly attempt to reverse-engineer the radar-absorbing skin. China has spent decades trying to match the stealth capabilities of the F-35, the most expensive weapons programme in history.

Lawmakers are now pressing for accountability. Republican Senator Kevin Cramer, who heads the Armed Services Committee panel reviewing the lapse, questioned whether Beijing had intelligence on the consignment ahead of time, while Senate Intelligence Committee leaders Tom Cotton and Mark Warner have demanded a sweeping examination of commercial defense supply chains.

Erica Plath, the Pentagon's deputy assistant secretary for defense logistics, has established a dedicated review team to revise transport safeguards. A compliance officer from the State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls is also examining whether criminal or civil export breaches occurred during the handling process.