Norway's defense officials are concerned that their new fleet of F-35 warplanes is equipped with sensors that automatically send critical information to their US manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
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Will US partners still buy F-35 jets despite ‘phenomenal upkeep cost’ and snooping?
FILE PHOTO One of three F-35 fighter jets ordered by Norway's Air Force is seen at Oerland Main Air Station, near Trondheim, Norway © Ned Alley / Reuters |
The Norwegian military claims that the planes send sensitive data to their manufacturer in the US, Lockheed Martin, after every flight. Earlier in November, Norway received the first three of its 40 F-35 fighter jets it ordered in an effort to beef up its air force.
“Due to national considerations, there is a need for a filter where the user nations can exclude sensitive data from the data stream that is shared by the system with the manufacturer Lockheed Martin,” said Defense Ministry senior consultant Lars Gjemble, as cited by Norway’s ABC Nyheter.