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It would be an embarrassing incident for the American arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Due to a security breach, the Chinese government is said to have had access to important pieces of software from the F-35 stealth bomber. Therefore, Lockheed Martin would have to rewrite the software, which could make the plane more expensive.
Lockheed Martin is one of four manufacturers applying for new combat aircraft in Switzerland. At the end of September, the population had barely said yes to a loan of up to six billion francs. In addition to the F-35, the Super Hornet of the American manufacturer Boeing is also underway, as well as the Rafale fighter jet of the French company Dassault and the Eurofighter of Airbus.
The incident could increase costs
The security breach has been confirmed to British representatives, according to international media. The UK Royal Air Force is one of many air forces that use the F-35 fighter jet. Military officials would consider this access to pieces of software a security risk. Therefore, they would have to be rewritten. Experts assume that this will make the plane more expensive.
The access is assumed to have been through a subcontractor. This did not adhere to the strict conditions imposed by the manufacturer and the US military Lockheed Martin. The arms company itself protects its systems well. With contractual partners, however, “not everyone can be as safe as one would like”.
Swiss authorities remain calm
US manufacturer Lockheed Martin does not deny access to BLICK’s request. The arms company only emphasizes that “we have processes in place to guarantee the security of the F-35 program data.” Lockheed Martin is also working “diligently” to make Switzerland a cheap offer. All four providers submitted their revised bids on Wednesday.
The responsible Federal Armament Office (Armasuisse) is calm. All fighter jets available for selection would undergo extensive testing. The aim is to obtain complete, objective and reliable results as a solid basis for the decision on the choice of type, says Armasuisse spokesman Kaj-Gunnar Sievert. The Swiss authorities are also not afraid of being suddenly surprised by additional costs: “The offers submitted by all candidates are binding.”
It still shouldn’t be entirely clear how deeply China was able to access the F-35’s systems. However, for security reasons, much of the affected unspecified software was discarded and rewritten.
