US F-35 supply-chain leaks aiding and abetting China’s rival J-35

Résumé détaillé

Mounting US supply-chain failures and decades of relentless Chinese espionage are exposing the flagship F-35 stealth fighter program to critical security leaks, handing China…

Mounting US supply-chain failures and decades of relentless Chinese espionage are exposing the flagship F-35 stealth fighter program to critical security leaks, handing China potential windfalls to advance its rival J-35 fleet and challenge US air superiority across the Indo-Pacific.

This month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report stating that the US Department of Defense (DoD) still cannot account for tens of millions of dollars in F-35 fighter jet components because of widespread supply-chain tracking failures and weak logistics security.

According to the GAO report, the F-35 Joint Program Office still does not know the status of over 1 million lost parts worth more than US$85 million and failed to record roughly 17,000 maintenance-bound parts valued at up to $2.5 billion in its property system.

The GAO found that critical vulnerabilities span the program’s $31 billion shared pool of 26 million parts dispersed across more than 700 worldwide locations, noting that US defense officials do not know which sub-tier contractor facilities house certain parts and that in-transit components shipped via commercial freight routinely escape tracking.

Because US defense systems lack real-time integration with prime contractors Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, records lag by months, and the DoD routinely approves loss adjustments without investigating root causes, the GAO reported.

Ultimately, the GAO warned that these systemic gaps would undermine military combat readiness, obstruct financial audits, and severely cripple US capacity to prevent fraud, waste, or theft across its most expensive weapons program.

The report comes shortly after China reportedly obtained sensitive F-35 parts, including a canopy and weapons-bay doors. In September 2026, US Congressional committees launched inquiries after an Australian F-35 cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door were inexplicably diverted to Hong Kong during commercial transit.

Shipped via UPS on behalf of Lockheed…

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