Chinese spies stole "many terabytes of data" nigh the pattern of Australia’s Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II JSF, according to top hush-hush documents disclosed past times one-time the States National Security Agency intelligence contractor Edward Snowden to German linguistic communication periodical Der Spiegel.
Chinese spies allegedly stole equally much equally l terabytes of data, including the details of the fighter’s radar systems, engine schematics, "aft deck heating contour maps," designs to cool exhaust gases in addition to the method the jet uses to runway targets.
So far, the F-35 Lightning II JSF is the most expensive defense projection inwards the the States history. The fighter aircraft, manufactured past times US-based Lockheed Martin, was developed at a toll of to a greater extent than or less $400 billion (£230 billion).
Beijing probable used the stolen information from American intelligence through espionage to aid educate its latest "fifth-generation" fighters, armed services experts told the Morning Herald.
The Chengdu J-20 in addition to China’s most advanced fighter jet, the Shenyang J-31 Falcon Hawk, possess got been extensively influenced past times pattern information stolen from the US. The Falcon Hawk has roughly the same appearance equally the F-35.
The disclosed documents reportedly confirm that the Australian authorities was informed of the cyber-espionage in addition to aware of the "serious damage" caused due to the breach relating to evolution of the F-35 JSF.
The main information breach was believed to possess got taken house at the prime number contractor, Lockheed Martin, inwards 2007, earlier orders for the F-35 Lightning II placed past times Commonwealth of Australia in addition to Japan. However, inwards June 2013, Defense Department acquisitions original Frank Kendall told the the States Senate that he was "reasonably confident" that F-35 information was straight off amend protected.
The Snowden documents equally good revealed the NSA spying functioning on China’s espionage agencies. According to the documents, the NSA hacked into the figurer of a senior Chinese armed services official in addition to stole information nigh Chinese intelligence targets inwards the the States authorities in addition to other unusual governments.
Among the sensitive armed services technologies in addition to information stolen included inwards the breach was information relating to the B-2 stealth bomber; the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter; nuclear submarine in addition to naval air-defence missile designs; in addition to tens of thousands of armed services personnel records.
