Pentagon suspends F-35 deliveries over Chinese alloy in magnet
By Stephen Losey
Sep 7, 01:17 PM
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has temporarily halted deliveries of F-35 fighters following the discovery that the raw materials used for a magnet in the plane were produced in China.
In a release Wednesday, Lockheed Martin said a magnet in the F-35′s Honeywell-made turbomachine — an engine component that provides power to its engine-mounted starter/generator — was recently discovered to have been made with cobalt and samarium alloy that came from China.
Lockheed said the alloy for this part is magnetized in the United States.
Company spokeswoman Laura Siebert said magnets on F-35s already delivered will not be replaced with magnets made from non-Chinese materials because the Pentagon has decided the magnets are safe for flight and do not put sensitive program information at risk.
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2022/09/07/pentagon-suspends-f-35-deliveries-over-chinese-alloy-in-magnet/
