The Defense Department stopped accepting new F-35 combat jets made by Lockheed Martin after being informed they contained magnets with metal alloys produced in China
Honeywell disclosed to the Pentagon in recent weeks that engine components it made for the jets contained two alloys sourced from China that were turned into magnets. The company said it had identified an alternative supplier but didn’t give details. Honeywell said it remains committed to supplying high-quality products, and Lockheed Martin said production continued at its plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The Pentagon said it expects a waiver will be issued to allow F-35 deliveries to resume.
Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief, said a continuing probe is expected to show that the use of the Chinese alloys—stretching back over a decade—doesn’t affect the security or airworthiness of the F-35. However, he said, the incident has highlighted continuing vulnerabilities in the defense supply chain, even after efforts to improve visibility.
“Any company that says they know their supply chain is like a company that says it hasn’t been hacked,” Mr. LaPlante said at a media briefing on Sept 9.‘Any company that says they know their supply chain is like a company that says it hasn’t been hacked.’The F-35 incident was a setback for the Pentagon’s efforts to manage contractors’ supply chains and identify potential vulnerabilities.
Pentagon leaders have for years recognized potential vulnerabilities arising from Chinese-supplied raw materials and microelectronics. Thoseduring the Trump administration, with a number of Pentagon studies identifying increasing reliance on China and other overseas suppliers.
One of biggest concerns, said Pentagon and industry leaders, is with the U.S. reliance on China for 80% of rare-earth elements, sometimes called technology minerals, which are used in magnets for weapons-guidance systems as well as commercial applications such as electric-vehicle batteries. China has invested heavily in mining and refining rare earths over the past decades, and
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