A widespread concern is what would happen to Dutch weapon systems if the Americans were to withdraw completely as an ally. For example, Dutch F-35 aircraft are dependent on American software updates. Yet, Tuinman isn’t particularly worried about this.
“The F-35 is truly a shared product. The British make the Rolls-Royce engines, and the Americans simply need them too.” And even if this mutual dependency doesn’t result in software updates, the F-35, in its current state, is still a better aircraft than other types of fighters.
If you still want to upgrade despite everything, I’m going to say something I should never say, but I will anyway: you can jailbreak an F-35 just like an iPhone. (Crack it with your own software, ed.)
It’s a fighter jet. It’s made in Sweden. It costs about 80% in purchase price and 50% per flight hour compared to the f35. It’s not dependent on constant software updates.
I bet every modern fighter jet is. “Dependent” might not be the best word, but if you can make your existing jet better just by optimizing the software, then of course they should.
It’s probably true to say that F-35 is objectively better than a Gripen, but it’s way more expensive too. More Gripens might actually be better than fewer F-35s. My understanding is they’re more focused on electronic warfare.