A fortnight ago we reported on the curious case of top-secret F-35 advanced fighter parts getting swiped by China as a shipment from Australia to the U.S. transited Hong Kong. The decision to route through the Chinese territory was said to be 'inexplicable' at the time. Now, insiders talking to Bloomberg have revealed that a UPS worker missed an important email about securely routing these parts and opted for a Hong Kong transit to hasten the shipping time.

The F-35 parts were said to be sensitive military technology, not just because they were serviceable parts of one of the world’s most advanced fighter jets. These Royal Australian Air Force F-35 stealth fighter cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door were also “coated with radar-absorbing material that enhances their stealth capabilities,” noted the original report. In other words, the stealth coating’s secret recipe may have been more sensitive than the actual airplane parts.

The parts were being sent from Australia to San Francisco for inspection. According to U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, also known as ITAR, certain countries and territories must be avoided when shipping such equipment. Hong Kong, as a special administrative region of China, is on the blacklist.

An email making clear that the cockpit canopy and weapons-bay door should be shipped according to ITAR rules was sent from heavy cross-border freight specialist DSV to global parcel distribution specialist UPS. Sadly, with the shipment leaving Australia late and the UPS agent reportedly not getting sight of the DSV email, reports Bloomberg, mistakes were made.

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