https://www.military.com/pentagon-investigating-how-f-35-fighter-jet-parts-bound-for-us-were-diverted-to-hong-kong

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have launched an inquiry into reports that sensitive F-35 fighter jet technology was somehow sent to Hong Kong this summer in an unexplained mishap.

Politico was the first to report how the shipment of F-35 parts was bound for the United States for repairs but was rerouted over the Pacific Ocean from Australia. The incident has raised concern over the possibility that Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China which has become an increasing U.S. adversary, could have access to key components of the highly classified weapons system.

Although the Department of Defense has stepped up oversight of the F-35 supply chain in recent years, Lockheed actually accounts for the spare parts in the pool. In a Government Accountability Office report from 2023, more than 1 million F-35 spare parts were found to have gone missing in the past five years.