Regrets purchase of fighter jets – concerns about “kill switch”

Denmark
Dansk regrets purchase of F-35 – concerns about American “kill switch”

Emil Forsberg

Published 2025-03-21 22.05

An American F-35 visits a Danish air base. Photo: Bo Amstrup /AP

He bought American fighter jets – and regrets it.

Now Danish politician Rasmus Jarlov is warning the EU against buying weapons from the US.

– It is a security risk that we cannot take, he says.

The F-35 has been described as NATO’s new standard fighter jet and has been purchased by a number of EU countries.

Now European officials are raising a warning finger that the planes may have a built-in “kill switch” that will cause them to stop working if the Pentagon decides to deactivate them.

– It is more than just a rumor, Joachim Schranzhofer, head of communications for the German defense company Hensoldt, tells Bild.

Rasmus Jarlov. Photo: Steen Brogaard

The Pentagon has recently hit back at the reports:

“There is no kill switch. The program operates under well-established agreements that ensure that all F-35 operators have the necessary capacity to maintain and operate their aircraft effectively.”

“Can’t trust it”

But Danish MP and defense committee chairman Rasmus Jarlov, who was involved in negotiating Denmark's purchase of the F-35s, is not convinced.

“I don’t know if there is a kill switch in the F-35 or not. But we can’t trust it. As one of those behind Denmark’s purchase of the F-35, I regret it,” he writes on X.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Photo: Rod Lamkey/AP

Jarlov says the US can make the plan unusable by stopping sending spare parts to EU countries, something he says will strengthen Russia and weaken Europe.

“They have shown that they are willing to do enormous damage to peaceful and loyal allies like Canada just because they insist on existing as a country.”

Calls for boycott

He then draws parallels to Trump’s desire to make Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, part of the US.

“I can easily imagine a situation where the US will demand Greenland from Denmark and threaten to deactivate our weapons and let Russia attack us when we refuse (which we will do in that situation).”

Now he is calling for a joint EU boycott of US weapons systems.

“Buying American weapons is therefore a security risk that we cannot take. We will be making huge investments in air defense, fighter jets, artillery and other weapons in the coming years and we must avoid American weapons if possible. I encourage our allies and friends to do the same.”