According to a report on the US “Wall Street Journal” website on May 6, the F-35 fighter is a symbol of America's military and technological strength, yet it relies on more than 80 components provided by a little-known company headquartered in a quiet suburb of Denmark. Overall, there are more than 1,900 suppliers of this fighter jet manufactured by Lockheed Martin, distributed in about a dozen countries, providing various components from tiny chip boards to catapult seats. The huge supply chain of F-35 fighters suggests that even the US defense industry may face the challenges of the Trump administration's trade war. The US defense industry exports weapons worth billions of dollars, but imports very little. Tariffs will make many components and raw materials for modern weapons more expensive. Defense companies are currently grappling with the potential impact and are lobbying the White House for exemptions like other industries. And in the end, the Pentagon is likely to bear most of the costs.

According to a report on the US “Wall Street Journal” website on May 6, the F-35 fighter is a symbol of America's military and technological strength, yet it relies on more than 80 components provided by a little-known company headquartered in a quiet suburb of Denmark. Overall, there are more than 1,900 suppliers of this fighter jet manufactured by Lockheed Martin, distributed in about a dozen countries, providing various components from tiny chip boards to catapult seats. The huge supply chain of F-35 fighters suggests that even the US defense industry may face the challenges of the Trump administration's trade war. The US defense industry exports weapons worth billions of dollars, but imports very little. Tariffs will make many components and raw materials for modern weapons more expensive. Defense companies are currently grappling with the potential impact and are lobbying the White House for exemptions like other industries. And in the end, the Pentagon is likely to bear most of the costs.