Episode Details

When Turkey bought Russian S-400 missiles, the U.S. expelled it from the F-35 program — not as a political punishment, but because the radar could map the jet's stealth signature over time. This episode unpacks the impossible math of selling weapons so advanced they could be used against you. From Israel's unprecedented access to the F-35's source code to the UAE deal frozen by shifting administrations, we explore how the U.S. balances billions in export revenue against the nightmare scenario of a reverse-engineered stealth fighter. Plus: the remote-disable capability that means no country ever truly owns an F-35.