The picture shows the US F-35B fighter jet. (Picture taken from twitter.com/theF35JPO)
The U.S. Defense Department today signed a waiver to allow metal alloys from China to be used in F-35 stealth fighter engines, allowing Lockheed Martin Corp to resume F-35 deliveries.
Archyde.com reported that the U.S. Defense Department stopped accepting deliveries of new F-35s in September after previously discovering that the magnets in F-35 engines were made of an unauthorized alloy made in China.
Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35, said at the time that the problem “related to the F-35 turbine magnets made by Honeywell International Inc, which contain cobalt and samarium alloys.”
Pentagon arms acquisition chief William LaPlante today signed a waiver that would allow the alloy, which does not comply with U.S. procurement law, to be used in lubricating pumps for engines.
In the statement, Laplante said the receipt of these F-35s is necessary in the interest of national security. He also said the decision will be implemented until the last F-35 is delivered under contract, currently expected in October 2023.
Hanway Associates will look for other sources of alloys for future production of lubricated pumps.
The magnets do not transmit messages or harm the aircraft and do not present a safety risk.
Alloys from other sources will be used in the future, the Department of Defense’s Joint Program Office said in a statement.
The F-35 has other magnets originating in China that have been exempted by a former U.S. Department of Defense official.