DOD Approves Waiver To Resume F-35 Deliveries

Weeks after a F-35 delivery pause was ordered following the discovery of Chinese parts, the DOD has issued a waiver that allows delivery of 126 aircraft awaiting delivery.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, October 10, 2022 at 04:24 PM ET

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A test pilot flies an F-35B Lightning II [Courtesy: Dane Wiedmann/ Lockheed Martin ]

Key Takeaways:

F-35 deliveries were temporarily halted after a Chinese-made alloy was discovered in turbomachine pump magnets, violating U.S. defense acquisition policy.
The U.S. Department of Defense has since issued a national security waiver to resume F-35 deliveries, citing the necessity for national security interests.
Officials state the non-compliant parts pose no flight risk or security vulnerability, and an alternative, compliant alloy source has been located for future F-35 production.

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Weeks after a delivery pause was ordered following the discovery that parts of the Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Lightning II fighter were made from a Chinese alloy, the U.S. Department of Defense has approved a national security waiver in order to allow aircraft production to resume.

Last month, U.S. defense officials temporarily stopped accepting deliveries of F-35 fighters after discovering parts on jets in production were made from an alloy made in China, potentially violating Pentagon acquisition policy. The alloy in question was used to produce magnets that are integrated into F-35 turbomachine pumps.