F-35 Parts Including Stealth Canopy Diverted to Hong Kong

A shipment of sensitive F-35 fighter jet components, including a cockpit canopy containing stealth technology, was unexpectedly diverted to Hong Kong while being transported from Australia to the United States for repairs, according to reporting citing three people familiar with the matter. The Pentagon has confirmed the disappearance of some components, and the incident has triggered an investigation by the Defense Department as well as scrutiny on Capitol Hill over the possibility that China could gain access to highly classified technology. The parts were being moved by an intermediary on behalf of Lockheed Martin, the aircraft's manufacturer, when the shipment was rerouted during its transit across the Pacific Ocean. It remains unclear why the equipment was diverted or who currently has possession of it. The shipment included one of the jet's canopies, an acrylic bubble that covers the cockpit and is coated with a thin layer of transparent radar-absorbent material that helps hide the aircraft from enemy radar, according to two of the people.