DOD Eyes Waiver To Resolve F-35 Delivery Pause

DOD will seek a national security waiver for a prohibited material that has been used in production of Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II following a safety and security probe, a program spokesperson confirmed Monday.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, September 12, 2022 at 02:15 PM ET

Verified

A magnet on the F-35 turbomachine includes cobalt and samarium alloy determined to be produced in China. [Courtesy: Department of Defense]

Key Takeaways:

F-35 fighter jet deliveries were temporarily paused due to the discovery of a Chinese-made alloy in components (magnets for turbomachine pumps), violating Pentagon acquisition policy.
The DOD will seek a national security waiver to continue deliveries, as initial investigations indicate no apparent impact on F-35 security or airworthiness.
This incident highlights a complex supply chain integrity issue involving a 5th-tier supplier, though flight operations for existing F-35s continue normally and an alternative alloy source has been identified for future production.

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DOD will seek a national security waiver for a prohibited material that has been used in production of Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Lightning II following a safety and security probe, according to a program spokesperson.

The news comes days after 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.