Pentagon probing how shipment of F-35 fighter jet parts was diverted

The Department of War is working to recover F-35 fighter jet components that vanished en route to the U.S. after being rerouted to Hong Kong, according to a defense official who spoke with CBS News. The parts were traveling from Australia, where they had gone for repair or replacement, when they went missing. Bloomberg News has reported the components ended up in China's possession, a claim the Pentagon declined to confirm. Officials said they are coordinating with authorities and industry partners to recover the items, investigate the diversion, and guard against a repeat.

The missing pieces reportedly involve the jet's canopy and the door covering its weapons bay, rather than sensitive avionics. Even so, those components carry a radar-absorbing coating tied to the aircraft's stealth capability, meaning they could still offer insight into how the F-35 evades detection. The F-35A is the military's most advanced fighter, capable of speeds near 1,200 miles per hour and hauling an 18,000-pound payload.

News of the diversion surfaced as President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, though it is unclear whether the missing parts came up alongside expected talk of Taiwan. Beijing has pushed Washington to halt arms sales to the island and abandon its policy of strategic ambiguity on defending it militarily. Republican Senators Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn and Lisa Murkowski recently pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over billions in approved Taiwan funding and arms sales that remain stalled, calling the delays essential to deterrence.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CBS News’s reporting. Read the full story at CBS News →