Turkish Air Force (HVKK)

Nefer · Dec 26, 2014

Sinan said:
Just a myth bro...if that had been true, Iran couldn't have been able to operate F-14 Tomcats.

Also, Washington Post is a shitty media outlet.

When Iran got their F14's there are differences, Computer chip technology was in its early days and in comparison with F16, F14 is a mechanically stable plane; What I mean with that is that F14 doesn't need microsecond adjustments in order to stay in the air. The f16 needs it, but because of its instable nature it can perform moves which a stable planes can't.

GPS satellite was getting started around 1973, F14 was introduced in 1970 and F16 was first introduced in 1978. In that 8 years the number of transistors(bruto computational power) in chips has increased 6 fold(for that time it was a big deal).

Computer science is my field of specialisation so I assume that basically at the time of the F14 a theoretical kill switch was not technically possible, but with the F16 it was.

-SINAN- · Dec 26, 2014

Nefer said:
When Iran got their F14's there are differences, Computer chip technology was in its early days and in comparison with F16, F14 is a mechanically stable plane; What I mean with that is that F14 doesn't need microsecond adjustments in order to stay in the air. The f16 needs it, but because of its instable nature it can perform moves which a stable planes can't.

GPS satellite was getting started around 1973, F14 was introduced in 1970 and F16 was first introduced in 1978. In that 8 years the number of transistors(bruto computational power) in chips has increased 6 fold(for that time it was a big deal). So basically at the time of the F14 a theoretical kill switch was not technically possible, but with the F16 it was.

Bro, you are refering to the Fly-By-Wire, F-15 also don't have the FBW....though it's irrelevant. If you can cut off a planes controls with a signal, you should be also able to kill it's engines, avionics, radars, etc.....

Second part of your post is an assumption based on your guess.

Nefer · Dec 26, 2014

Sinan said:
Bro, you are refering to the Fly-By-Wire, F-15 also don't have the FBW....though it's irrelevant. If you can cut off a planes controls with a signal, you should be also able to kill it's engines, avionics, radars, etc.....

Second part of your post is an assumption based on your guess.

I don't think f-14 had that possibility since the infrastructure to do such a thing was build later, but than again I don't have enough data to make that judgement. I can only read between the lines and figure out to what degree everything is possible. I personally think that what I just wrote is highly likely the case or at least close to the truth but I lack access to certain data to make a definitive statement.

era_shield · Dec 27, 2014

Sinan said:
Bro, you are refering to the Fly-By-Wire, F-15 also don't have the FBW....though it's irrelevant. If you can cut off a planes controls with a signal, you should be also able to kill it's engines, avionics, radars, etc.....

In order for the kill switch to be possible, the engine/avionics/etc have to be controllable by some central computer which is connected to a communication system. I don't know if the F-14 has such systems, but even if a kill-switch did exist in the F-14, the US wouldn't have used it until the last moment (i.e., when Iran tried to use them to attack someone the US didn't want attacked), and that hasn't happened yet. The F-16 does have a central computer like that, though, so it is possible such a kill-switch/backdoor existed.

Many modern systems definitely have backdoors and kill-switches like this. For example, in 2008 in the Russo-Georgian war, Russia and Israel made a deal where Israel gave Russia access to the backdoor of their UAVs (which Georgia was using). Any major weapon system which has communication links and computer control is likely to have a backdoor.

Seyfullah · Dec 27, 2014

era_shield said:
Many modern systems definitely have backdoors and kill-switches like this. For example, in 2008 in the Russo-Georgian war, Russia and Israel made a deal where Israel gave Russia access to the backdoor of their UAVs (which Georgia was using).

Do you mind me asking what is your source?

Hyperion · Dec 27, 2014

It is fully operational.

Oublious said:
Is it operational? Nobody knows it.

era_shield · Dec 27, 2014

Seyfullah said:
Do you mind me asking what is your source?

It was leaked by Wikileaks and in the Stratfor hacks so there are lots of sources on it. It was also in a post-war analysis, but I can't find that right now.

The Global Intelligence Files - INSIGHT - Russia/Israel/Georgia/Mexico - defense deals and swaps WikiLeaks: Israel Has Codes for Iran’s Missiles - Defense/Security - News - Arutz Sheva
Israel sold Georgian UAV codes to Russia | sUAS News

Seyfullah · Dec 28, 2014

Thanks a lot. I didn't know that.
That is something that Azerbaijan should consider while buying modern weaponry from states which can betray Azerbaijan in no time for their own benefit. Turkey is the only true brother state that we should and can trust!

Hakan · Dec 28, 2014

era_shield said:
It was leaked by Wikileaks and in the Stratfor hacks so there are lots of sources on it. It was also in a post-war analysis, but I can't find that right now.

The Global Intelligence Files - INSIGHT - Russia/Israel/Georgia/Mexico - defense deals and swaps WikiLeaks: Israel Has Codes for Iran’s Missiles - Defense/Security - News - Arutz Sheva
Israel sold Georgian UAV codes to Russia | sUAS News

In a war they would give away any info they had about the f-4's they upgraded.

Nefer said:
When Iran got their F14's there are differences, Computer chip technology was in its early days and in comparison with F16, F14 is a mechanically stable plane; What I mean with that is that F14 doesn't need microsecond adjustments in order to stay in the air. The f16 needs it, but because of its instable nature it can perform moves which a stable planes can't.

GPS satellite was getting started around 1973, F14 was introduced in 1970 and F16 was first introduced in 1978. In that 8 years the number of transistors(bruto computational power) in chips has increased 6 fold(for that time it was a big deal).

Computer science is my field of specialisation so I assume that basically at the time of the F14 a theoretical kill switch was not technically possible, but with the F16 it was.

What your saying about the kill switch is entirely poosible. F-16,s have computers so if they have computers they must have an operating system of some sort, and if they have an operating system then someone is an admin or super user. Whoever is the super user / admin has control over what can be changed in the computer. Manufacturer of the computer probably has some sort of backdoor access already setup for whatever reason.

These are all guesses on how the computer system on an F-16 is setup but i have no clue, everything i just typed could be b.s.