Overview
- State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman said on a Dutch podcast that an F-35 could be “jailbroken” like an iPhone to accept independent updates if U.S. support were withheld.
- The Netherlands signaled a contingency posture to develop its own software updates to keep its F-35s operational under European control, though no plan or technical details were offered.
- F-35 operators receive software, mission data files and logistics support through U.S.-managed ALIS/ODIN systems, creating dependence for updates, threat libraries and sustainment.
- Analysts note that unauthorized modifications would be highly complex and could trigger legal action, loss of official upgrades and potential cutoff from parts and depot support.
- Israel is the lone operator known to have negotiated rights to install domestic software and operate outside ALIS/ODIN, a precedent not extended to most partners.