By Mike Stone
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Pentagon has stopped accepting new F-35 jets to check that a magnet being used in the stealthy fighter’s engine is in compliance with U.S. procurement laws that bar unauthorized Chinese content, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The pause occurred in recent days, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity, to ensure that an alloy located in the engine’s lubricant pump had proper authorization from U.S. regulators ensuring compliance with foreign-origin content. The alloy in the magnet that serves an engine pump comes from China, the person said. The Joint Program Office, the Pentagon and Honeywell International Inc, who makes the pump, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The lubricant pump is not part of any sensitive systems and there are other Chinese-origin magnets on the jet which have received waivers from past Pentagon officials.
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
