Link: https://www.bnr.nl/nieuws/nieuws-politiek/10594175/staatssecretaris-van-defensie-tuinman-nederland-is-eind-2028-klaar-voor-een-russische-aanval

A widespread concern is what would happen to Dutch weapon systems if the Americans were to withdraw completely as an ally. For example, Dutch F-35 aircraft are dependent on American software updates. Yet, Tuinman isn't particularly worried about this.

"The F-35 is truly a shared product. 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. (Crack it with your own software, ed.)

Hey Tuinman, congrats on having a bigger ego than sense of responsibility.

And here I thought the military would want their stuff to work without software updates and be open source.

Next F35-frimware-dump on Piratebay:

  [ RELEASE INFORMATION ]
  -------------------------------------------------------------------
  NAME......: F-35_Series_FW_Utility
  VERSION...: v2.4.0-OPEN
  DATE......: 2026-05-04
  PLATFORM..: Embedded Linux / RTOS
  TYPE......: Firmware Dump & Tools
  SIZE .....: 14.2 GB (840x50MB)
  ORIGIN....: Internal Flash (SPI/NAND)

  [ DESCRIPTION ]
  -------------------------------------------------------------------
  This package contains a jailbreaked binary dump of the flight 
  controller. Included are scripts for:
  
  * Hex-signature verification
  * Partition table analysis
  * File system extraction and flashing
  
  [ INSTALLATION / USAGE ]
  -------------------------------------------------------------------
  1. Ensure your Fighter jet is in USB-Debugging mode.
  2. Run 'python3 F35_jailbreak_flash.py --check-signatures'
  3. Take Off
  
  CAUTION: Modifying firmware can result in a bricked device
  or "Fly-Away" scenarios. Use at your own risk.

  [ GREETS ]
  -------------------------------------------------------------------
  To the researchers, the tinkerer community, and all those 
  who believe in the right to repair and modify their hardware.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------
             "Information wants to be free."```

The military wants the best equipment, and currently in terms of specs that is the F-35.

That comes with a dependence on the United States, which at the time of purchasing these jets was not considered to be a particular concern because America is a good ally and a part of NATO.

Following Trump's re-election and antics over Greenland, that calculation is now different. It might not be worth it to buy new F-35s at this point (though Germany seems to be considering it still), but the Dutch army has pre-existing F-35s which we should be able to use even if America doesn't want us to for whatever reason.

At this point for the purchase of new jets we really should be looking at the new Eurofighter though, imo

Possible sure, easy unlikely, knowing you got all the backdoors (for allies), nigh impossible. Only way to be sure is to clean room it from the ground up, not jailbreak.

tell me more about the "Fly-Away" scenarios

Right to repair my F-35!

The F-35 mainly uses Pratt & Whitney engines; the RR engine is for the B variant. Although, 15% of every F-35 is designed and built in the UK.

Sounds more like an admission that there is something that needs jailbreaking in the first place

Except the US has killswitches hard wired in. A fusible link, irreversibly bricking it based on signal from the mother ship.

Plus it's strongly suspected, and rumoured, to have kill switches, a fusible link that bricks the whole thing. I believe it.

https://youtu.be/WgByny4FYtg?t=3518

Where is the support for this? I believe they would but as I understand it they cut cloud services, not core functionality.

It is a long standing rumour. Not just in these in a lot of their gear. I believe it.

It's also rumoured, going way back over 20 years, that the us has kill switches in a majority of the world's computers.

I mean every country that takes delivery of them gets to inspect it really closely. The "kill switch" is that they stop providing you the software for mission planning and shit.

Yes, but it can be wired-out

You call F35 the best ? The thing cannot fly well on a rainy day & it has shit landing-gear.

Get Sukhois, Eurofighter, Migs or Gripen (Rafales are good too)

The way I heard it, it's like hard wired it is thought, not like a part of the software per se, something physical in there they can trigger with a message that makes a circuit that bricks the unit.

We don't actually know though, I bet if someone did find out lockheed would have their head and the news wouldn't touch it.

For a modern military, in a general sense, yes, the F35 is the best currently. Mostly due to it's software and sensor suite which have a much larger impact on mission performance. It's built to an assumption of US support, which means good runways and resilient supply lines. Russian fighters are out for the same reason US fighters should be out right now (can't trust the government).

Canada is looking for new fighters, where I think the Gripen is actually better than the F35 for our specific use case (almost entirely defensive, rough runways in arctic conditions that the F35 struggles with, need for lower maintenance requirements due to manpower and budget issues). The Swedes deal with the same conditions we need a fighter for, plus they offered a full tech transfer to revitalize our aerospace industry and help achieve autonomy for operation of the Gripen.

If you say so, don't say no one warned you.

Why wouldn't they?

With F-35's costs, is it really the best equipment? I suspect the real reason is that replacing it is a gigantic undertaking that might be far more expensive short-term.

The components dependency part in fighter jets, though, is something they really should be able to solve. Those are very complex systems, but designed with integration and customization in mind. That's one of the reasons they are so expensive. Slowly replacing everything in them with components from more reliable producers is normal for militaries. Well, for militaries with actual RnD and production, of course Uzbekistan or Colombia can't do that, but Netherlands can.

Relevant video: https://youtu.be/4X9ww6FtUhE?si=R5TCNF0lTho9kHWp

Tl;dw is that sure, the US could withhold software updates and sure, NL could do their own software thing, but there is a whole intelligence software thing too that makes it harder. And ultimately if the US stops supplying new parts the existing planes are quickly dead in the water anyway. So it's a short-term solution at best.

Can it run doom?

I'm not buying any, don't worry.

But there's several countries involved in building them and they also have schematics. You'd think at least one would have raised alarms by now if there was truly a kill switch.

The real real kill switch is ALIS access and parts availability. Those two things can ground the planes until a replacement system is developed and parts manufactured.

Intel management engine strikes again

In the most literal sense.

Wow if its rumoured it must be true

I remember working with an old dude 10 years ago who pointed at the CPU in a computer and said "the government can turn that off whenever they want". He died of COVID so take his quote with what value you want.

With F-35's costs, is it really the best equipment?

Name another stealth jet that you can buy right now in significant numbers.

I can forget about stealth capabilities for a sec, but Migs, really? Enjoy your 6 mig29++++ ever built and wooden mockups of fifth gen planes.

edit: also why would they want rafales if they don't have carriers and they'd never carry nukes?

Do Netherlands need a stealth jet at all? Perhaps a fleet of cheap drones is better.

I mean, in some "global power projection" context like USA or thinking of readiness for total war like Israel, those jets are not optional.

But the threat model of Netherlands is which? Considering it doesn't even have mandatory military training.

It's not just about defending the Netherlands but all of NATO, which involves deploying Dutch planes to eastern Europe, close to Russian AA systems for example.

Meh, they are whores but they dont produce shit. They get your information through invasive NSA actions and capitalist acumbaggery.

It was Dutch F-35s that shot down the Russian drones over Poland. It could've just as well been a Russian fighter jet they scrambled to intercept.

Yeah, they do need a stealth jet. Stealth is what lets you fire your missiles before the enemy even knows you're there.

Either you're talking confidently about something you couldn't possibly know, or you're risking the rest of your life in prison for leaking top-secret military info. Which is it?

imagine flying a jailbroken fighter plane that gets an over-the-air update that bricks the controls

just get the gripen

Can you elaborate on the Gripen?

Edit: my ore-coffee dyslexic ass read just like the Gripen.

I fully support Canada getting manufacturing here..

Help, how do I unlock the bootloader

https://youtu.be/4Bbk-9kzMh4

tbf, that can happen without jailbreaking

Something tells me fighter planes don’t get updates from anything other than a computer plugged directly into them.

Just open the fracking door for the cylons why don't you

It was Dutch F-35s that shot down the Russian drones over Poland.

The dirt cheap drones, those of them that diverted by error or malfunction from their intended targets, that is, inside margin of error.

Using F-35s to shoot down that in an actual war with waves of those drones seems inefficient. Paying more than the attack costs. Raising a jet costs fuel and maintenance. It's purely a very expensive peacetime solution near a conflict. Those drones should have been intercepted by ground AD batteries. Which in case of being a war participant and not a neighbor you will need.

Yeah, they do need a stealth jet. Stealth is what lets you fire your missiles before the enemy even knows you’re there.

As a strategic weapon yes.

OK, as part of common European defense yes, it's just that it's still not unified enough it seems. Perhaps a common European military with mandatory training and reserve enlistment for citizens, standardized equipment and procedures (OK, that already exists), united command and proscription and budget, would be better. Because when it's decided by separate governments, you end up with F-35s shooting down random drones being used as a proof that the system works.

That would mean, of course, turning the EU into a confederation from a union.

Flashing failed 5 minutes in, and now an upside down jet with a big yellow ! coming out of the belly is on the screen. Did I brick my F-35 or is it recoverable?

Depends on your altitude..

The question was about the best equipment, and in it's class F-35 is (so far) the best, considering the price. I'm sure everyone and their grandma would want 100M worth of cheap anti-drone tech too but a contract's a contract, and they get cool planes out of it. Planes that will get a shitload of upgrades in the near future, wingman uavs for example.