The US aerospace giant Honeywell has exported drawings of the US state-secreted F-22, F-35 fighter jet to many countries, including its Chinese rival.
According to news site Eurasia Times of India, American aerospace giant Honeywell, is suspected of leaking military secrets such as F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, F-22 fighter Raptor and B-1 bomber for several countries.
Honeywell was accused of violating the US State Arms Export Control Act and the State Department’s International Arms Trade Regulations. Honeywell was found to export a number of important documents, without permission, including dozens of technical drawings.
These engineering drawings concern components of a wide variety of aircraft, rockets, tanks, gas turbine engines, and military electronic products. The drawings are exported, described in great detail.
These illegal drawings have been exported to many countries including from allied states of the United States such as Canada, Mexico, Ireland and even the rising US rival China.
Currently, Honeywell has reached “reconciliation” with the US government, and this company needs to pay a civil fine of 13 million USD. The US Department of Commerce has agreed to spend 5 million of the 13 million in fines, on the condition that Honeywell use the funds for “remedial compliance measures”.
The US government chose to treat Honeywell “leniently” because the company “voluntarily” reported its violations to the US government. However, according to observers, the main reason is that the company Honeywell holds so many key technologies, not only affecting the US defense industry but also the US economy.
Relevant technical data in the “technical drawing” illegally published by Honeywell, relating to the most expensive US F-35 program , the F-22 fighter, the B-2 strategic bomber, the transport C-130, attack aircraft A-10, helicopter AH-64D Longbow Apache.
The list extends to drawings of M1A1 main battle tank engines, Tomahawk cruise missiles and T55 turboshaft engines used by CH-47 heavy transport helicopters and CTS800 turboshaft engines for use on duty. Comanche stealth helicopter.
Although over the years, the US counterintelligence agency has prevented and arrested many foreign spies, on charges of stealing technologies belonging to military secrets; but Honeywell’s “inside” leak of secrets caused serious concern.
Honeywell, however, made it clear that the drawings produced did not contain information on equipment and parts related to military secrets. These export technologies have been assessed as not affecting national security, the company said.
Honeywell company said, their activities not only in the field of defense but also civil; and the technologies they export, which are commercialized on a global scale, without fear of disclosing the detailed manufacturing processes, or the technical expertise of the equipment involved.
However, the State Department claimed it had discovered the Honeywell company had exported 71 drawings. These drawings relate to some of the parts and components used on the F-35, F-22 stealth fighter and B-1 long-range strategic bomber. This has caused damage to US national security.
The US government also revealed that Honeywell had finally identified 71 drawings that were exported without a license from July 2011 to October 2015. In 2018, Honeywell admitted another batch of drawings were exported without approval, similar to previous violations.
Honeywell International Inc. is a multinational, publicly traded US corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company primarily operates in four business areas: aerospace, construction technology, materials and high technology as well as safety and productivity solutions.