"There is no kill switch" - the Pentagon commented on rumors about a kill switch on Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters

After weeks of silence, the Pentagon has finally commented on rumors of a kill switch that could disable the functions of Lockheed Martin's fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, Flight Global reports.

Rumors about the possible presence of a so-called kill switch in the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, which are the basis of the Air Forces of many NATO countries, spread a few weeks ago against the background of strange US rhetoric towards NATO. At the same time, the rumors were even spread by some analysts and members of the parliaments of European countries, calling for the abandonment of the purchase of the F-35 in favor of European combat aircraft, due to the unreliability of the US as a partner.

And this despite the fact that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, as theoretically the most powerful fighter jets of our time, is in high demand. The queue to receive the aircraft is several years long.

Amid Trump's rhetoric, anti-American sentiment, and rumors of a kill switch, some countries are already considering abandoning F-35 contracts and purchasing European fighters. Against this backdrop, shares of many American military companies, including Lockheed Martin, have fallen significantly. Lockheed Martin shares have lost 24% of their value since October 2024.

And finally, the Pentagon reacted.

"There is no kill switch. The programme operates under well-established agreements that ensure all F-35 operators have the necessary capabilities to sustain and operate their aircraft effectively," a Pentagon F-35 Joint Program Office representative said on March 18, 2020.

Interestingly, the article about this was retweeted by the official F-35 Lightning II account on X/Twitter.

In the comments under the tweet, users express concerns that even if a kill switch does not exist, if the US government decides to stop supplying equipment, software, and updates, this could seriously affect the functionality of the F-35.

As of January 2025, Lockheed Martin has an order for 408 F-35 Lightning II aircraft.