Dutch Secretary of Defense threatens to 'jailbreak' nation's F-35 jet fighters — says it's just like jailbreaking an iPhone, in response to questions over software independence

Dutch Secretary of Defense Gijs Tuinman has invoked the possibility of a third party modifying the operating system of the Netherlands’ F-35 Lightning II fighters. The secretary said this during an interview with BNR Nieuwsradio, when the host asked him if the EU can make changes to the jet without approval from the United States. According to Clash Report, Tuinman said that it’s possible to do, but he refused to elaborate further.

“I’m going to say something I should never say, but I’ll do it anyway,” the defense secretary said. “Just like your iPhone, you can jailbreak an F-35. I won’t say more about it.”

The Trump administration has frequently been clashing with European powers in recent months, and although the U.S. has not threatened to withhold support from the F-35, some nations are worried that their overdependence on American technology has made them vulnerable to actions from across the pond. For example, there have been rumors that the U.S. might have embedded a kill switch on one of the most advanced fighter jets across the world, but officials deny its existence. After all, giving another nation the ability to remotely disable your weapons is unthinkable for any government.

However, the F-35 is such an advanced piece of technology that it needs a complete working supply chain to maintain its combat effectiveness. The jets require thousands of parts and services, mostly acquired from the U.S., to ensure that they remain safe to fly. More than that, they rely on Lockheed’s cloud infrastructure for software updates, logistics, and even the “Mission Data Files” that give it its threat-recognition abilities. So, even without a kill switch, the U.S. could effectively ground any nation’s F-35 fleet if it’s excluded from this network.

This is especially worrisome for the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force, which relies solely on the F-35 for its fighter jet needs. Because of this, it might be looking for ways to modify the software on the Lightning II, allowing it to operate even if the U.S. cuts off the nation from the fighter’s support system.

But even though Tuinman made it look simple and even compared it to jailbreaking an iPhone, modifying an F-35 jet outside of official channels is likely easier said than done. After all, the Lightning II runs on over 8 million lines of code. Given the military nature of their application, they’re also encrypted — that means it’s not like Windows, where you can just open the Registry Editor and make changes you like. Furthermore, these flying machines are way more complicated than a single handset, and any mistakes in programming could cost millions of dollars in property damage and even the lives of highly trained Dutch pilots.

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