US launches cutting-edge F‑47 to counter China's tech theft
The F-47 aircraft is designed to ensure U.S. air dominance and will be the first sixth-generation fighter introduced into service. To prevent data leaks, the United States has implemented special security procedures because the threat is real—information about other aircraft has already been stolen by China.
Boeing, the corporation the U.S. Department of Defense has entrusted with the construction of the new F-47 fighter jet, will need to meet stricter safety standards than ever before. Katie Arrington, the acting director of information at the Department of Defense, provided information about these new requirements.
According to information obtained by Breaking Defense, this is a result of past experiences with data security breaches. These breaches involved, among other things, information about the F-22 and F-35 aircraft, which, according to the U.S., helped China develop its new air superiority aircraft, the J-20.
According to the Pentagon, China's progress in building new generation aircraft is partly due to industrial espionage and the theft of information about American combat aircraft. Katie Arrington referenced this during her speech at the TechNet Cyber conference in Baltimore.
To prevent a situation where China steals the results of American efforts, Boeing and its subcontractors are to apply the zero trust principle. In practice, this means constantly assessing users to ensure they only have access to the data they need at any given moment.
The next component in the security chain is the use of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). This is a cybersecurity compliance and certification program by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), allowing the evaluation of defense sector contractors in terms of security levels. This program aims to reduce the risk of various types of cyber threats.
The F-47 is intended to ensure U.S. superiority
The Pentagon's caution seems fully justified in this case due to the significance attributed to the F-47 aircraft and past experiences with Chinese industrial espionage and reverse engineering.
The F-47 is set to replace the F-22 Raptor in the U.S. Air Force. This design, planned according to assumptions from the end of the Cold War, was initially an uncompromising, state-of-the-art air superiority fighter. Due to high costs and the collapse of the Soviet Union, production of the F-22 was limited to 195 units (including prototypes).
The F-22 led the world by about 30 years in terms of technology, ensuring the U.S. Air Force's superiority over any opponent for that long. This advantage is gradually diminishing as potential adversaries introduce new types of aircraft like the Russian Su-57 or the Chinese J-20.
Therefore, the Department of Defense, beginning to phase out the F-22, plans to replace it with an aircraft that will once again guarantee the U.S. Air Force a technological advantage over a potential adversary and compensate for its numerical superiority. From the Pentagon's point of view, the F-22 is one of the key weapon systems in the context of a potential confrontation with China.
Cyberattacks on the United States
The threat from Chinese intelligence is real, as documented by numerous past cases. Regardless of the capabilities of China's defense sector, the country has been stealing military technologies for decades, even from its allies.
Insights into classified data on this topic were provided, in part, by information stolen by Edward Snowden. According to this information (verified by "Der Spiegel" among others), China carried out a multi-year, extensive operation targeting Lockheed Martin and its subcontractors worldwide (including companies from Australia, Israel, Canada, and the UK).
The result was the theft of about 100 terabytes of data related to the F-35 aircraft, which helped the Chinese aviation sector catch up with over a decade of development and research work within just two years. The stolen information pertained to avionics systems, crucial engine parts, anti-radar coatings, and exhaust gas cooling methods, all of which help reduce the aircraft's thermal signature.
The technology thief
The F-35 case, although perhaps the most spectacular among those revealed, is not the only one. Through cyberattacks and agents' work, China acquired terabytes of data on American submarines, the Patriot air defense system, and B-2 Spirit bombers.
Among the proven thefts is an operation conducted by China using an agent employed at Boeing and a company established in Canada specializing in cable production for aircraft onboard installations.
The result of this action was the theft of 630,000 files belonging to Boeing, containing information about F-35, F-22, and, primarily, the C-17 transport aircraft. This information allowed China to accelerate work on its own transport aircraft, now known as the Y-20.
However, the targets of Chinese attacks are not only the United States. Back in the 1980s, using reverse engineering, China copied the French Crotale air defense system to create the HQ-9 set.
Even earlier, in the 1960s, after cooling relations with the Soviet Union, Beijing copied the Soviet MiG-21 aircraft, which was subsequently produced in China under the name J-7. The Shenyang J-11 (Su-27) and Shenyang J-15 (Su-33) are also unlicensed copies of Russian aircraft.
