However, Tuinman then went on to say that if the worst case scenario does come to fruition he believes that, through unknown means, the F-35’s software could be altered without permission by third party operators. He compared this directly to ‘jailbreaking’ an iPhone, a process which allows end users to access features on iOS devices that are not usually allowed by Apple’s own software at the cost of theoretically voiding the device’s warranty and opening up the risk of security vulnerabilities or software malfunctions.
I can imagine the Trump administration ordering a kill switch to be put into the export version, explicitly disregarding any concerns. I can also imagine the kill switch being vibe coded by some Big Balls-style bros on secondment from one of Musk’s companies, and North Korean hackers finding it immediately.