F-35 jets: Chinese-owned company making parts for top-secret UK-US fighters

It is exceedingly naive of Western militaries to allow Chinese controlled companies into the supply chains of sensitive systems and programs. In particular, to allow a Chinese company to supply electronic components that can be altered or "bugged" in some way, is a special kind of careless.

A Chinese-owned company is making circuit boards for the top-secret next generation F-35 warplanes flown by Britain and the United States, Sky News can reveal.

Exception PCB, a printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer in Gloucestershire, south west England, produces circuit boards that "control many of the F-35's core capabilities", according to publicity material produced by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).

This includes "its engines, lighting, fuel and navigation systems", it said.

Apparently, Exception PCB supplies bare circuit boards only, with no electronics mounted at that stage of production, but...

Clark Ince, a director of Hallmark Electronics, another printed circuit board manufacturer in the UK, said firms make boards according to a design given to them by their customer.

He said he thinks it is possible for a company that buys another firm to glean details of what the circuit boards on its acquisition's order books might be used for even if - as in the case of Exception PCB - it is simply bare circuit boards for the F-35.

"They can look at certain designs and probably recognise what it's used for. If it is similar to what they are making but of a better design then they will copy it," he said.

And, not to worry, there are measures in place to restrict access of the Company's Chinese owners to design details...

Mr Devine said measures are in place to ensure no Chinese national can access F-35 related information.

"All data is secured on a separate internal server and access to data is protected by passwords, only accessible by a selected few, of which have been audited by GE," he said.

Wow...the sensitive information is on a separate server (owned by the Chinese Company), and is protected by passwords. Unbreakable security!

The revelation that one Chinese-owned firm is part of this global supply chain raises the possibility there could be others.

Lockheed Martin was unable to state categorically this was not the case.

"We are not aware of any other Chinese-owned F-35 suppliers at this time," the firm said

Shouldn't they know for certain, for absolute certain, if any other parts are being supplied by Chinese (or Russian, or Iranian) controlled companies?

I am not certain if the West can ultimately survive our own stupidity.

Chinese Owned F-35 Part Supplier

a reply to: mobiusmale

Those dastardly Chinese up to no good again.

Seriously the whole argument is about SHARE PRICE and private equity value as much as it is about power.

China HAS been too aggressive in recent years but they are here to stay.

The US is single-handedly responsible for this entire debacle anyway, whose company's with the blessing of the US senate moved there entire semi conductor operations to China, and course then the Europeans followed suit and all in the name of CHEAP labor and lax employment law's.

Everyone with an ounce of sense warned that it could only lead to our nations' becoming more poor and building up those nations whose ideology was opposed to our own, no one listened as they lived in a live now and burn tomorrow on the bonfire of today world.

Guess what they still do.

a reply to: LABTECH767

Because those who made this happen benefited. Trump is the first in 30 years to challenge China.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

Agreed but it may be too little too late, still the right man in the right place at the right time can make a massive difference to world interaction's.
I just wish my own government would stop cosying up to China, if England was to follow suit over Huawei than it would be GOOD for new innovation and western I.C. development and production, we had some great company's but thank's to successive idiot government's over here many of our company's such as the creators of the RISC architecture are now in Chinese hand's.

a reply to: LABTECH767

It is definitely too little too late, China is a cancer that has been allowed to metastasize.

Yet it was a national security issue for air bus to make the new refuelers when they planned to build manufacturing facilities in the US.
Eta: I realize it's a minor part, principle is still the same, we couldn't trust one of our oldest allies but we trust a future opponent.

When it comes to our military I think everything possible be done in house and even metals used due to fears of poor metal that fatigues under stress faster. If bringing back some of our core manufacturing costs more or even a bit subsidized it would be worth it in the long run. I wish people would remember when a whole lot of China's equipment started looking very similar to ours. That was not because of just good old Chinese corporate espionage. I think "feel" there were some deals made and the Chinese among others obtained our secrets from years of tax paid R&D and ingenuity. Tricky subject for sure.

How could the US and UK be so stupid to have let this go on.

a reply to: mobiusmale

This is because they have more and better access to rare earth components that are needed for much of the electronic devices needed for such a craft. This has been a thing for a very long time. Just as they need certain things for their crafts that really only America can provide.

If Zaph pops in he can break it down much better than I.

a reply to: mobiusmale

Oh Cheney family, what have you done?

a reply to: mobiusmale

Oh hell!.. NOooooo!
We are doomed.

Darwin's law losers or is this sabotage to allow our very enemy to make crucial parts?

More than the flipping Cheney's involved I am certain.

It's all about money. The Chinese boards are cheaper so the companies supplying them are betting they can supply enough of them to make more money than any potential fine, and the DoD will say that so many are already installed it's not cost effective to replace them.

originally posted by: Fools
a reply to: mobiusmale

Oh Cheney family, what have you done?

And let's not forget that the Democratic Presidential Candidate, who is currently leading the polls, has very deep - and seriously questionable - ties to the Chinese Government.

In 2013, then-Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden flew aboard Air Force Two to China. Less than two weeks later, Hunter Biden’s firm inked a $1 billion private equity deal with a subsidiary of the Chinese government’s Bank of China. The deal was later expanded to $1.5 billion. In short, the Chinese government funded a business that it co-owned along with the son of a sitting vice president.

If it sounds shocking that a vice president would shape US-China policy as his son — who has scant experience in private equity — clinched a coveted billion-dollar deal with an arm of the Chinese government, that’s because it is.

Biden Family Takes Chinese Payoffs

In amongst the very many tricks in the Chinese bag, they know that establishment politicians on both sides of the aisle are more than happy to sell out their country for personal gain - Hillary/Bill made it into a cottage industry (ie. pay-for-play with the State Department).

They also know that Western Companies with desirable technologies are way dumb enough to accept "joint-venture" deals where they have to build plants in China - but with a Chinese partner - in order to gain access to the Chinese market...which never seems to work out (because the Chinese steal all of the tech/methods, set up a separate wholly-Chinese-owned entity, and then direct all future business to the new Company).

At least Trump is trying to get a trade deal with China that would put clamps on the intellectual property theft. Biden would (I suspect) just look the other way, as long as the money keeps flowing to his family...

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: LABTECH767

Because those who made this happen benefited. Trump is the first in 30 years to challenge China.

Ha, ha, ha, ha.

Priceless!

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: LABTECH767

It is definitely too little too late, China is a cancer that has been allowed to metastasize.

... and America is herpes that has been allowed to, you know, herp quite a lot...

And Britain is like hemorrhoids
And Europe is like a running sore that can be healed up with strong antibiotics.
And Brazil is like a rash from too close a shave in the 'private areas' (get it, 'a Brazillian).
And Canada just keeps apologizing (we aren't sure for what but it must be bad).

a reply to: chr0naut

HEY lay of my haemorrhoid's, look without them you would have no use for that cushion with a hole in the middle of it (Homer would never eat another donut ever again), ever hear a grown man scream for no apparent reason when he sit's down, mine looked like a baboon's arse, to be fair to my nation it's a beautiful country and so are most of the people if a bit miserable (the weather usually) but sadly not so much our political leaders whom if they were doctors would have been struck of by the medical council long ago.