00:00Parts from one of America's most advanced fighter jets have ended up in China's hands,
00:05sources have told Bloomberg. Here's what happened. A cockpit canopy and weapons bay door from an
00:10Australian F-35 were being shipped to the U.S. for inspection, repair, or disposal. But instead,
00:15the UPS shipment stopped in South Korea and then was diverted to Hong Kong. The Chinese government
00:19later took possession of the parts and so far hasn't returned them. It's still unclear why
00:24the shipment was diverted or whether it was an accident. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said
00:29the parts are unserviceable and deemed low risk for exploitation. But the components contain
00:34radar-absorbing material that helps give the F-35 its stealth capabilities. And Beijing's physical
00:40access to those parts could potentially help it understand how some of that stealth technology
00:45works. Now China has spent years trying to learn more about the F-35s, including through alleged
00:50espionage. The technology is closely guarded, with a deal to sell the jets to the UAE falling through,
00:55and Congress raising concerns about selling them to Saudi Arabia for fear of the tech reaching China.
01:01The Pentagon is now trying to get the parts back, while multiple congressional committees
01:04investigate how they got there in the first place.
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