Reference no: EM133376032

Case Study: New technical specs about China's new J-31 fighter, a plane designed to rival the American-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, popped up on a Chinese blog last week. So who has the advantage - the U.S. or China?

China's twin-engine design bears a striking resemblance to the single-jet F-35. Still, the Joint Strike Fighter is expected to fly slightly farther and carry a heavier load of weapons, according to the data, which was first reported by Jane's. Military experts say that while the J-31 looks like, and may even fly like, the F-35, it's what's under the hood and embedded in the skin that really matters. The U.S. has the better computer software, unique sensors and other hardware, stealth coating, and engines technology-all critical attributes that make fifth-generation aircraft different than the military jets of last century. Exactly how long that advantage lasts is up for debate; senior Pentagon officials and experts believe American technology superiority is shrinking. That means the U.S. military's weapons will not overmatch adversaries for as long as they have in past decades. [...]

China is suspected of stealing F-35 design data in 2009. U.S. officials have said classified information was not stolen in that breach, but in 2011 it emerged that China was building a multirole, stealth fighter of its own that could strike targets in the air and on the ground, like the F-35. The J-31 flew for the first time in 2012.The Pentagon huddled with defense companies in 2007 to urge firms to better protect their networks. Companies are attempting to beef up their cybersecurity, but there is a gap in the security talent, said Justin Harvey, chief security officer for Fidelis Cybersecurity, a firm that works with the U.S. government and private industry. "[...]

Cyber theft allows China to save tens of billions of dollars in research-and-development, the experimentation and testing a new weapon goes through before it reaches the battlefield, experts say. While the Chinese jet fighters might still be inferior to the American planes, not having to do early research and development allows them to focus on upgrades and improvements. This means the 10- to 20-year advantage an aircraft like the F-35 was supposed have on the battlefield might not be there, Singer said. Those Chinese plans could then compete against U.S.-made aircraft 20 years from now when the U.S. government allows more and more allies to buy the F-35.

But the F-35, unlike previous aircraft, has been designed to receive upgrades over the years, which will ultimately improve its capabilities, allowing it defeat new threats. F-35 development will end in October 2017. After that the program will move into a "follow-on development" phase, said F-35 project spokesman Joe DellaVedova. "One of the F-35's great strengths is that it's a growth platform, so its software, its processors, its radar, its capability; there's a lot of room for growth." The jet fighters will get software and hardware upgrades every two years on an alternating basis. The F-35 itself and its ground equipment undergo multiple tests each year to make sure the systems can withstand cyber attack, DellaVedova said. "We take the cyber threat very seriously," he said. While the Chinese planes might still have inferior systems, stealing intellectual property and subsequent R&D savings also allows Beijing to make drastic changes in prototypes.

Questions:

1. What intelligence collection sources other than materials theft are mentioned?

2. What are the expected advantages of reverse engineering the F-35 for the Chinese? Do you see any disadvantages or factors that might make reverse engineering less profitable?

3. How would you guess the Chinese conducted the exploitation process?