Finland has ordered 64 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, the first of which are scheduled to arrive in 2026.
The US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, has temporarily suspended deliveries of new F-35 fighters to the country’s military and foreign customers, several US media reports.
The Pentagon decided on the temporary suspension after hearing from the fighter’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, that a Chinese alloy has been used in the turbomachinery pumps coming to the fighters.
In the United States, the procurement order for the defense industry prohibits the use of special metals or alloys made in China. According to the Bloomberg news agency (you will switch to another service) the same ban applies to alloys produced in North Korea, Iran and Russia.
According to a Pentagon spokesman, the Chinese product does not transmit information or pose a security risk. The suspension also does not affect the use of F-35 fighters already in service.
According to Lockheed Martin, the pumps of the turbomachine, which contained a Chinese metal alloy, come from a subcontractor called Honeywell International.
Lockheed Martin notified the Pentagon on its own initiative after discovering in August that the metal alloy in question had been used in the pumps.
Lockheed Martin says that it has already found an alternative product for the new fighters and continues to investigate the case. The Pentagon has not said how many fighter jets are affected by the suspension, or how many fighters have been found with Chinese alloy, by CNN (you will switch to another service).
Finland has ordered 64 such fighters from Lockheed Martin. The first of them will be delivered in 2026.
He was the first to report on the matter in Finland Helsingin Sanomat (you switch to another service).