Chinese Counterfeit Parts Found in U.S. Military

navyreco

Senior Member
Dozens of suspected counterfeit parts have been installed on U.S. defense equipment from Raytheon Co. (RTN), L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL) and Boeing Co. (BA), including aircraft deployed to Afghanistan.
The Senate Armed Services Committee found counterfeit parts -- usually from China -- on at least seven aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) C-130J transport plane, Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and L-3 27J Spartan transport.
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AssassinsMace

Lieutenant General
What the Senate Arms Service Committee is hiding is this is purely a case of corruption by their own military contractors trying to make more money by buying the cheaper "counterfeit" version. If there's some sort of conspiracy by China as some are trying to make, something drastically more serious would be charged more than counterfeiting. If China knew what was happening and what these parts were being used for, wouldn't that be called sabotage. So what it is they're doing in the Senate Arms Service Committee is covering up and protecting the companies involved.
 

ahho

Junior Member
If this is true, well you can only blame yourself. When buying military hardware and parts, especially from foreign country, you should always check the quality of the systems. China cannot be even blame for this. The only group that can be blamed on is the Company and the corrupt officials that purchased this items.

In a way, I still kind of don't believe that this is true. IMO I think they are hyping the threat of buying Chinese.
 

i.e.

Senior Member
There are legit hardware recycling / refab business that goes on all the time.
its not a "dark secret".

half of the time the components used in consumer electronics are refurbs. entire labtops are assembled using refurb parts.

it would actually be a giant waste if they all go to landfill.

what strikes me is the way these defensee contractors has no way (or purposely don't care) to keep track oftheir supply chain.


...

and ofcourse.
beat on china, the scape goat.
 

Quickie

Colonel
In the same article, you see how things are spin differently within a few paragraphs.

L-3 Vice President Ralph Denino, in a prepared statement to the committee, said “there has been no discernible effect” on the aircraft. The company “will take whatever corrective action its customer requests and the current remedy is to replace the chips during normal scheduled depot maintenance unless a failure occurs for any reason that would necessitate immediate repairs,” he said.

Which means the chips concerned are actually not defective but working normally "with no discernible effect".

But see how the story is spin as that the chips are being actually defective in just a few lines down.

The fact that defective parts are in aircraft that are deployed in Afghanistan is evidence of the seriousness of the problem,” Levin said in an e-mail to Bloomberg News.
 

Mr T

Senior Member
If this is true, well you can only blame yourself. When buying military hardware and parts, especially from foreign country, you should always check the quality of the systems. China cannot be even blame for this. The only group that can be blamed on is the Company and the corrupt officials that purchased this items.

When you say "the Company", are you referring to a US company or a Chinese company that made the counterfeit parts? The Chinese companies that made the fake parts are certainly responsible. But if their goods were purchased in good faith by people who thought they were legitimate, I don't see how those purchasers were to blame. As Senator McCain said, these goods can get passed through many hands before they get to the purchaser. It's not possible to inspect every microchip that you buy being manufactured.

As for "China", that depends on whether tighter regulations and enforcement are required to reduce the amount of counterfeit goods produced in China. I'm sure there is more that China can do in that department.
 
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delft

Brigadier
When you say "the Company", are you referring to a US company or a Chinese company that made the counterfeit parts? The Chinese companies that made the fake parts are certainly responsible. But if their goods were purchased in good faith by people who thought they were legitimate, I don't see how those purchasers were to blame. As Senator McCain said, these goods can get passed through many hands before they get to the purchaser. It's not possible to inspect every microchip that you buy being manufactured.

As for "China", that depends on whether tighter regulations and enforcement are required to reduce the amount of counterfeit goods produced in China. I'm sure there is more that China can do in that department.

The Chinese company probably made these parts in good faith. They are not responsible for what their US buyers do with them. Perhaps they don't even know the first US buyer. There can be no doubt that the US company incorporating the parts into some device is responsible for ensuring that the parts used are up to specification.
 

vesicles

Colonel
When you say "the Company", are you referring to a US company or a Chinese company that made the counterfeit parts? The Chinese companies that made the fake parts are certainly responsible. But if their goods were purchased in good faith by people who thought they were legitimate, I don't see how those purchasers were to blame. As Senator McCain said, these goods can get passed through many hands before they get to the purchaser. It's not possible to inspect every microchip that you buy being manufactured.

As for "China", that depends on whether tighter regulations and enforcement are required to reduce the amount of counterfeit goods produced in China. I'm sure there is more that China can do in that department.

Counterfeiting has always existed. China should be blamed for not having a good enough regulation, while the US companies may not get away unscathed since it always looks kinda dumb to be duped by someone else. As the companies supplying for the world's most elite military, these US companies look kinda dumb IF they honestly have been duped. In reality, I think these companies looked for cheap products so that they could make more profit. So in a sense, they got what they ask for. Greediness is the number one prerequisite to get conned.

Another thing. Why is the US military using chips made in China knowingly? As I understand it correctly, chips are brains of these high-tech equipments, China could easily mess with the chips so that they might fail in a crucial time of operation, like in war. These things should be supplied by the most trusted parties, definitely made in America. Parts made in any foreign country should be out of question.
 
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