Pentagon dismisses rumours that it can remotely shut down exported F-35s
The Pentagon has strongly denied rumours that the F-35 fighter jets have a special "emergency shutdown switch" that could allow the US to remotely deactivate aircraft sold to other countries.
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These fears arose after President Donald Trump announced the suspension of military assistance and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, which raised concerns about the possible remote deactivation of F-35s transferred to foreign allies.
In particular, Canada, which has an order for 88 F-35s, has called for a review of the deal due to possible US control over the aircraft.
The F-35 Joint Programme Office (JPO) categorically rejected these suggestions, stating that no such mechanism exists and that the US guarantees its allies "full functionality" of the fifth-generation fighters.
The F-35 fighter jet. Illustration: Lockheed Martin
Nevertheless, Joachim Schranzhofer, head of communications at German defence company Hensoldt, told local media that the allegations of an automatic F-35 lockout "may be more than just rumours". He suggested that the United States could block access to critical software updates, which would effectively halt the aircraft's combat capabilities.
Some analysts also point to the dependence of F-35 operators on US maintenance, spare parts and access to computer networks. According to them, without constant software updates, the F-35 will remain in the air, but will become much more vulnerable to enemy air defence systems.
Source: Eurasiantimes
