It has become known how parts of the American F-35 fighter jet ended up in China

Components for the American fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet ended up in China due to an oversight by an employee of United Parcel Service (UPS), a company specializing in express delivery and logistics.

This was reported by the Bloomberg agency, citing sources.

According to their information, the UPS employee missed an email stating that the cargo's delivery route was not supposed to pass through Hong Kong. The letter explained that, in accordance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), the parts — the fighter's cockpit canopy and the hatch of the weapons bay — could not transit through certain countries.

The cargo was supposed to be delivered from Australia to San Francisco, Bloomberg writes. According to its data, the shipment was delayed and, in order to speed up delivery, an erroneous decision was made to route the components through Hong Kong.

As noted, members of the U.S. Congress have demanded an inspection of the global supply chain for American weapons. The incident prompted the Pentagon and the State Department to launch investigations, the agency indicated.

The U.S. military department stated on September 18 that American authorities are working to return the cargo, investigate the circumstances of the incident, and implement precautionary measures to avoid a repetition of this in the future.

Source: TASS