UPS Employee Error Sent F-35 Stealth Components to China via Hong Kong

China obtained sensitive parts of the US F-35 stealth fighter after a UPS employee missed an email warning against routing the shipment through Hong Kong.

• The parts — a cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door coated with radar-absorbing material — were rerouted through Hong Kong after delays en route from Australia to San Francisco.
• Denmark's DSV, acting for Lockheed Martin, sent an explicit warning that the cargo should avoid countries restricted under US arms-export rules, which a UPS employee missed.
• The Pentagon and the State Department opened joint investigations into the incident.
• China's embassy in Washington denied any knowledge of the incident.
• US defense officials confirmed that some components were lost before the parts surfaced in Hong Kong.