US issues national security waiver for F-35 jets that use banned Chinese alloy
- Delivery of the fighters had been halted because of the presence of a magnet that used rare earth metals sourced from China
- The US has been working to improve the security of its military supply chains to reduce dependence on materials sourced from potentially hostile countries
The magnet, a part of a Honeywell-made component in the aircraft’s engine, was made with a rare cobalt and samarium alloy that came from China. Under both US law and Pentagon regulations, the use of special metals and alloys from China is prohibited.
After the discovery, the Pentagon announced on September 7 that it had temporarily halted F-35 deliveries.
On Saturday, William LaPlante, the defence undersecretary for acquisitions, signed the waiver to allow deliveries of aircraft to resume.
“Acceptance of the aircraft is necessary for national security interests,” he said.
He said the waiver applied to a total of 126 aircraft under existing production contracts through to October 31 next year.
Lockheed said Honeywell had found an “alternative US source” for the alloy that would be used in the production of future aircraft starting in November, Bloomberg reported.