UPS failed to act on a warning email from freight forwarder DSV about routing sensitive F-35 stealth fighter parts through Hong Kong, and the shipment later ended up in Chinese possession. The parts originated in Australia and were being moved for inspection, repair or disposal under export-control rules.
The cargo included an F-35 cockpit canopy and a weapons-bay door coated with radar-absorbing material, making them sensitive components tied to the programme’s stealth characteristics. The shipment was meant to travel to the United States via South Korea and Taiwan, but it was rerouted through Hong Kong after a delay leaving Australia.
The reporting points to a breakdown in cross-border freight handoffs and internal communications between systems used by logistics providers. One account indicates the DSV warning may have gone to a different IT system from the one used by the UPS agent handling the consignment, while the reroute appears to have been chosen to speed delivery.
Lockheed Martin had no further comment on the sequence described in the report. The case has renewed scrutiny of compliance controls around US defence exports and the handling of ITAR-restricted cargo within global supply chains.