A few weeks ago, the Pentagon went into a frenzy after reports revealed that parts from the US fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets ended up in Hong Kong, raising concerns over whether China could gain access to the sensitive technology associated with the stealth fighter jet.
The parts—a cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door coated in radar-absorbing material—were being transported from Australia to the US by an intermediary for Lockheed Martin for repair or disposal.
The F-35 Joint Program Office had then said it was working with US authorities and industry partners to retrieve the items that landed in Hong Kong.
It has now been revealed that a simple mistake by a United Parcel Service (UPS) employee, who missed the warning that the shipment was to be kept away from Hong Kong, led to the whole confusion and resultant panic.
A Bloomberg report stated that the warning email, which came from freight-forwarder firm DSV A/S working on behalf of Lockheed Martin Corp., stated that the parts of the stealth fighter jet must not transit through certain countries in order to comply with the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which control the manufacture, export, and temporary import of defence articles, technical data, and defence services.
According to the Bloomberg report, the parts of the Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II were to travel to San Francisco via South Korea and Taiwan. However, following a delay in the shipment leaving Australia, it was routed via Hong Kong in a bid to speed up the delivery.
DSV had sent the email to UPS, reminding them about the ITAR rules. However, it may have been missed by UPS because DSV may have sent the mail through a different IT system than the one used by the UPS agent, according to reports.
Earlier, there had been concerns about China obtaining information related to the aircraft. The fifth-generation fighter jet incorporates stealth, advanced radar and sensors, as well as networking capabilities; and therefore, the presence of a cockpit canopy in the hands of China was perceived as a cause for concern.
