Can the US turn off European weapons? Experts weigh in on 'kill switch' fears

Can the US turn off European weapons? Experts weigh in on 'kill switch' fears.
Germany has expressed concerns that the US could control one of its newly procured weapons, the F-35A Lightning II aircraft. Germany inked a multi-billion euro deal with American aerospace giant Lockheed Martin in 2022 for 35 F-35A Lightning II aircraft. A so-called "kill switch" put into American-produced F-35s is more than just a rumour, insinuating that it would be easy for the US to ground the aircraft by blocking access to key software, which remains under their control. However, a spokesperson from the German ministry of defense told Euronews Next that there is no plan to cancel the purchase of F-35 fighter jets in light of the concerns raised.

Lockheed Martin expects over 550 F-35s to be in operation in 10 European countries by the end of the decade and that these weapons have "increased interoperability in Europe". The company also acknowledged that F-35 fighters, like other Western fighter aircraft, rely on US-secured data communication with Link-16 and GPS satellite navigation. Complete independence in this area, the company continued, "is not possible."

It's "not outside the realm of possibility" that measures to block aircraft software could be produced. The more relevant question for military planners is, can the US effectively prevent F-35s operated by other countries from being used, should it choose to do so? The answer seems to be mostly yes.