How the Hell Did American Stealth-Fighter Parts “Inexplicably” Make Their Way to China?

2 min readOne of the favorite topics of conversation in this shebeen always has been the F-35 strike fighter, aka the Flying Swiss Army Knife, aka the Winged Cost Overrun. It seems that, over the years, they’ve solved some of the chronic glitches; pilots no longer get their necks snapped when they eject. The U.S. is selling F-35’s all over the world at this point, most recently approving a deal that would send 48 of them to Saudi Arabia, which I am certain makes all kinds of sense.However, there appears still to be life in the ill-omened star that hangs over this beast. From CNBC:Chinese authorities are reportedly in possession of F-35 stealth fighter parts after components of the aircraft were “inexplicably diverted to Hong Kong.” Shipping giant UPS was sending a cockpit canopy and weapons bay door to the U.S. from Australia in late May when it was diverted, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources. Both parts were coated with a radar absorbing material that enhances their stealth capabilities, the sources said, and it was not clear why the shipment was diverted to Hong Kong.I would seek to make this explicable as quickly as possible. Perhaps the secretary of war could get on this—even if it might involve investigators that don’t look like UFC meat puppets. And maybe the president could mention this to his current honored guest, Xi Jinping, now that he’s given him the Big Hello. From The New York Times:Mr. Trump emphasized the “truly great friendship” between the two leaders after they and their spouses met on a red carpet outside the White House. Mr. Xi’s opening remarks were less personal: The Chinese leader thanked the Trumps for their hospitality before turning to matters of geopolitics, including Chinese companies’ access to the United States. “The interests of China and the United States are deeply intertwined,” Mr. Xi said. The two nations, he said, must avoid the “Thucydides trap”—the theory that a rising power and an established power are likely to go to war.China long has seemed to be quite interested in the F-35, which has made the Congress interested in that interest.Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) said that the U.S. intelligence community has warned that the sale “could put the crown jewels of American military technology within reach of the Chinese Communist Party.” Users of the fighter jet include Australia and Belgium, as well as the U.S. itself, with other countries like Japan, Canada and Singapore having also ordered the aircraft. F-35s have also been used by the U.S. during the Iran conflict, with one aircraft suffering damage from enemy fire, according to the Department of Defense.Now that the president has transformed the Oval Office into a reasonable replica of the average strip-mall Chinese restaurant, maybe the two of them could talk this whole thing over and make sure UPS gets the right continent next time.