Pentagon Stops F-35 Fighter Jet Deliveries Due To Chinese-Made Engine Part

The Pentagon has stopped accepting deliveries of F-35 fighter jets after discovering parts of an engine component were sourced from China. Officials said that issue was with an alloy used in magnets in the F-35’s turbomachine pumps. Using parts made or sourced from China violates the U.S. military procurement rules.

The engine part does not pose a security or operational risk to the aircraft.

“We have confirmed that the magnet does not transmit information or harm the integrity of the aircraft, and there are no performance, quality, safety, or security risks associated with this issue, and flight operations for the F-35 in-service fleet will continue as normal,” F-35 Joint Program Office spokesperson Russell Goemaere told The Hill in a statement.

The F-35 fighter jets are made by Lockheed Martin, but the turbomachine pumps are manufactured by Honeywell. Officials said that Lockheed Martin has already found another source for the alloy. Lockheed Martin has already delivered 88 F-35 jets in 2022 and is expected to deliver an additional 65 before the end of the year.

The alloy was not used in current F-35 jets that are already in service.