This was probably common knowledge in military tech circles, but it's still disturbing that one can have a military aircraft that can be hacked by anyone with the backdoor.

winteryeti

I'd dare predicting that "jailbreaking" an F35 is probably easier than jailbreaking a recent iPhone.

The problem isn't even getting one - where they are is public knowledge. Getting away in one alive is a little bit bigger problem. But the biggest problem of all: where are you going to park it?

optimism

No worries if the US doesn't want to be friends with Europe anymore

Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter aircraft can be jailbroken "just like an iPhone," the Netherlands' defense secretary has claimed.

Gijs Tuinman made the comments during a podcast interview after being asked whether the aircraft's software could be modified by European forces without permission from the US should it withdraw as an ally.

"The F-35 is truly a shared product," Tuinman told BNR's Boekestijn en De Wijk show (translated from Dutch). "The British make the Rolls-Royce engines, and the Americans simply need them too. And even if this mutual dependency doesn't result in software updates, the F-35, in its current state, is still a better aircraft than other types of fighters."

"If you still want to upgrade despite everything, I'm going to say something I should never say, but I will anyway: you can jailbreak an F-35 just like an iPhone."

tech

> **No worries if the US doesn't want to be friends with Europe anymore**
>
> Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter aircraft can be jailbroken "just like an iPhone," the Netherlands' defense secretary has claimed.
>
> Gijs Tuinman made the comments during a podcast interview after being asked whether the aircraft's software could be modified by European forces without permission from the US should it withdraw as an ally.
>
> "The F-35 is truly a shared product," Tuinman told BNR's Boekestijn en De Wijk show (translated from Dutch). "The British make the Rolls-Royce engines, and the Americans simply need them too. And even if this mutual dependency doesn't result in software updates, the F-35, in its current state, is still a better aircraft than other types of fighters."
>
> "If you still want to upgrade despite everything, I'm going to say something I should never say, but I will anyway: you can jailbreak an F-35 just like an iPhone."
>
> [**...read more at theregister.com**](https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/18/jailbreak_an_f35/)