F-35 data theft helps US adversaries: Pentagon

WASHINGTON – Reuters

The Pentagon’s acquisitions chief says a lot of F-35 data is being stolen. Company photo

The theft of sensitive design data by hackers targeting programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter takes away a big U.S. advantage by allowing rivals to speed up development of their own stealth aircraft, a top Pentagon official said on June 19.

 Defense acquisitions chief Frank Kendall told a Senate hearing he was reasonably confident that classified information related to the development of the F-35 was well-protected.

“But I’m not at all confident that our unclassified information is as well-protected,” he said.

“A lot of that is being stolen right now and it’s a major problem for us,” Kendall told a Senate hearing on development of the Lockheed Martin fighter, a so-called fifth generation aircraft capable of evading radar and integrated air defense systems.

The F-35 is the costliest weapons program in U.S. history and the country builds it with eight international partners including Turkey.