{"id":63492,"date":"2026-02-16T20:35:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=63492"},"modified":"2026-02-23T23:49:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T22:49:19","slug":"a-senior-official-from-the-netherlands-you-can-jailbreak-an-f-35-just-like-an-iphone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2026\/02\/16\/a-senior-official-from-the-netherlands-you-can-jailbreak-an-f-35-just-like-an-iphone\/","title":{"rendered":"A senior official from the Netherlands: \u201cYou can jailbreak an F-35 just like an iPhone\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The highly complex, closed, and US-dependent software that the F-35 stealth fighter possesses is once again a source of controversy.<\/p>\n

The F-35 stealth fighter does not have a remote kill switch, but it does have the MDF<\/a><\/rel>
\nEurofighter vs F-35: the opinions of professional pilots on these advanced fighters<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

According to The War Zone<\/a>, last Saturday, February 14, the Dutch Secretary of State for Defense, Gijs Tuinman, revealed something about the F-35<\/strong> that probably didn't sit well with either its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, or the White House.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuinman, a veteran of the Korps Commandotroepen (KCT), the Royal Netherlands Army's special operations force, made a statement to the BNR broadcaster<\/a> addressing what would happen to the F-35's software if the United States were to cease being an ally<\/strong>, a concern that has recently been circulating in European foreign ministries given the Trump administration's erratic behavior.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The F-35 relies on the US for its software updates. <\/strong>What would happen if that power withdrew its support for the Netherlands? According to broadcaster BNR, Tuinman was not worried and stated:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"If you still want to upgrade, I'll tell you something I should never say, but I'll do it anyway: you can jailbreak an F-35 just like an iPhone<\/strong>.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Remember that jailbreaking is a process to remove software restrictions from mobile devices with a closed operating system<\/strong>, such as the iPhone or iPad. Jailbreaking allows you to install your own applications on the device and have greater control over it. However, this process voids the manufacturer's warranty.<\/strong> Would the same apply to an F-35?<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

As we saw here last year, the F-35 has Mission Data Files (MDFs)<\/a>, which are a compilation of the mission data files necessary for the operation of the sensors and other components of the fighter's mission systems. As I mentioned then, the MDFs are processed through ALIS (Autonomous Logistics Information System) and its successor, ODIN (Operational Data Integrated Network),<\/strong>, both based in the United States. <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The situation can be explained simply so we understand: the F-35 is a highly advanced piece of technology, and the US provides its operators with support and assistance with the software<\/strong>, processed through these networks. To date, of all the F-35s active in eleven countries, the only F-35s that do not depend on the US for MDF processing are the F-35i Adirs of the Israeli Air Force<\/strong>. This country has a highly advanced defense industry with companies that are global leaders in high technology.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Obviously, if the US were to withdraw support for F-35s from any country, they could continue flying, but their capabilities would be diminished<\/strong> by the inability or technical difficulties to process MDFs without US assistance, as well as by the impossibility of introducing updates and improvements to the aircraft's software.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

I don't think Tuinman spoke without reason, but he didn't offer any further details.<\/strong> Could the Netherlands ever reach the level of Israel to \"jailbreak\" the F-35 and maintain its capabilities on par with other operators of this model? I have serious doubts. However, the Dutch official's statements have opened up a very interesting debate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Royal Netherlands Air Force has purchased 58 F-35As, of which 48 have been delivered.<\/strong> Of these fighters, 8 are based at Luke AFB in the US, where they are used for pilot training. The Netherlands is one of the two Tier 2 partners in the F-35 program, along with Ital<\/strong>y, so its participation in this weapons system is very significant, which would explain, to some extent, Tuinman's statements.<\/p>\n

---<\/p>\n

Photos: Koninklijke Luchtmacht. F-35A fighter jets of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The highly complex, closed, and US-dependent software that the F-35 stealth fighter possesses is once again a source of controversy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[19534,11546],"tags":[26270,7072,11326,17281],"class_list":["post-63492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-defense-portada-eng","category-military-aviation","tag-gijs-tuinman","tag-lockheed-martin-f-35-lightning-ii","tag-netherlands","tag-royal-netherlands-air-force"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-15 10:11:44","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63492\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}