Ever wary of potential risks, the Pentagon has ordered Lockheed Martin to suspend production of F-35 fighters after discovering components of magnets used in the aircraft’s turbomachine pumps came from China, Politico reports.

The magnets, which assist in engine operation, are strictly mechanical pieces and do not transmit data or relay signals, so the likelihood of being able to sabotage the aircraft by controlling them from an outside signal is minimal; however, the question of if the magnets were manufactured to specifications will be considered.  The issue is that one of the alloys used to manufacturer the magnets came from China.

The magnets are part of the Honeywell-made turbomachines, and the Pentagon has stated that the issue does not impact the operation or maintenance of the hundreds of F-35 fighters already deployed by the US and its allies. 

“We have confirmed that the magnet does not transmit information or harm the integrity of the aircraft and there are no performance, quality, safety or security risks associated with this issue and flight operations for the F-35 in-service fleet will continue as normal,” F-35 Joint Program Office spokesperson Russell Goemaere said in a statement.  “Defense contractors voluntarily shared information with DCMA [Defense Contract Management Agency] and the JPO [Joint Program Office] once the issue was discovered and they have found an alternative source for the alloy that will be used in future turbomachines.”

While the functional issues may be minor or even non-existent, the disclosure may lead to an audit of the purchasing patterns for Lockheed Martin and is subcontractors, who may have violated the 1978 Buy American Act and subsequent executive orders, which would require the manufacturer to seek a federal waiver for importing the material, and subsequently the aircraft assembly line, to resume.