Tensions between the United States and Europe continue over Greenland, trade, and tariffs. Amid the ups and downs in relations between Europe and the United States, a top Dutch defense official has added a new variable to the European debate over operational autonomy. And that is whether the F-35 jet’s software architecture can be changed without U.S. approval. Defense Secretary Guis Tuynman recently told BNR Nieuwsradio that the F-35 fighter jet’s code could be “jailbroken” in extreme cases, likening it to modifying the iOS on Apple iPhones. “I’m about to say something that I should never say, but I’m going to do it anyway. You can jailbreak an F-35, just like you can jailbreak an iPhone,” Guis Twinman said on BNR Nieuwsradio’s podcast “Boekestijn en de Wijk”, which is available online. His statement was reported by the crash report. Asked whether Europe could amend it without U.S. approval, he said, “That’s not a problem…We’ll see if the U.S. shows its true colors,” according to the report. Mr. Twinman took office in July 2024. He reportedly stressed that no decision had been made by the Washington government to interrupt software updates or supply chains. Nevertheless, the vulnerability is reported to be structural. The F-35 fighter jet reportedly relies on regular software updates, mission data files (MDF), and a globally coordinated maintenance system.
High technical barriers
According to Clash Report, the F-35 jet has over 8 million lines of source code and is said to be protected by multiple layers of security, so the technical hurdles are extremely high. The analysis also reportedly dismissed the idea of a simple “kill switch” as fiction, but reliance on U.S.-controlled updates remains central to the aircraft’s effectiveness.
Denmark says it regrets F-35 purchase
Relations between Europe and the United States have deteriorated since last year as a result of escalating conflict with the Trump administration, including threats of economic coercion and tariffs. In March 2025, Rasmus Jarlov, chairman of the Danish parliament’s defense committee, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he regretted choosing the F-35 stealth fighter for his country. “We don’t know if the F35 has a kill switch or not. We clearly cannot take your word for it. As one of the decision-makers in Denmark’s F35 purchase, we are disappointed. The US will simply stop supplying spare parts. “There is no doubt that they can disable the aircraft. They want to strengthen Russia and weaken Europe, and they have shown that they are willing to inflict great harm on peaceful and loyal allies like Canada just to assert their survival as a nation.” It is easy to imagine a situation in which the United States demands Greenland from Denmark and threatens to disable our weapons and force Russia to attack us if we refuse (and we would do so in such a situation as well). Therefore, we intend to invest heavily in air defense, fighter jets, artillery, and other weapons in the coming years, and we encourage our allies and friends to do the same.
