Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said parts of an F-35 shipment diverted to Hong Kong are "not sensitive" and confirmed Canberra is assisting an investigation. Politico reported the consignment may have included a canopy with radar‑reducing technology. Australia is cooperating with the United States and Lockheed Martin, which oversees the global F-35 supply chain, while the reason for the reroute and the current location of the items remain unclear.
Australia Says Diverted F-35 Parts Sent To Hong Kong Are 'Not Sensitive' — Probe Under Way
The United States operates more than 800 F-35 jets, which are also flown by many of its defence allies including Australia (Toby Shepheard)
Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Tuesday that components for F-35 fighter jets that were diverted from Australia to Hong Kong are not "sensitive" and that Canberra is assisting an investigation into the incident.
The United States operates more than 800 F-35 aircraft, the most expensive weapons system in its arsenal, and the platform is also used by several allied countries, including Australia.
News organisation Politico reported that a consignment of F-35 parts — reportedly including a canopy fitted with radar-reducing technology — was unexpectedly rerouted to Hong Kong after departing Australia, raising concerns that elements of the aircraft could have been exposed to foreign hands.
Marles told reporters that Australia is cooperating with the United States and the F-35 prime contractor, Lockheed Martin, as they investigate the diversion.
"We are examining very much everything that has occurred at the Australian end," Marles said. He added Canberra was "confident about the way in which we've engaged with the programme," but declined to provide further detail.
"We're not talking about sensitive equipment here or sensitive parts. Ultimately, though, this is an issue which is going to be managed by the United States and by Lockheed in terms of what has occurred," he said.
Marles emphasised that Lockheed Martin is responsible for managing the global F-35 supply chain. According to the Politico report, Lockheed employed a third-party logistics provider to handle the shipment; the components were intended for the United States but were diverted to Hong Kong for reasons that remain unclear.
Australia operates 72 F-35 jets and is one of seven non‑US partners that share a pooled set of spare parts alongside Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. Another dozen countries have purchased the aircraft, including Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
A warehouse at Williamtown, near Newcastle north of Sydney, serves as an Asia‑Pacific hub for F-35 spare parts. Australian parliament heard last year that components were moved into and out of the Williamtown facility by Lockheed Martin and shipped to destinations around the world, often on commercial aircraft with stopovers in Asia. Defence officials told parliament that Australia did not control or authorise exports from the Williamtown site.
Two sources speaking to AFP said the overall F-35 programme is managed by the US military. Lockheed Martin Australia declined to discuss detailed shipping procedures for security reasons but said shipments were handled with "utmost diligence" and complied with applicable US regulations, including those enforced by the Department of Defense.
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