Prof. Michael Hudson : US control of all military aircraft sold
The following story was been broadcast all over the internet on March 2016, although it seems to have been explained already in 2022.
This is important, because it implies that all U.S. aircraft and presumably other arms have special Stuxnet-like controls enabling the U.S. military to take control of these aircraft in the event that foreign buyers should use them for a purpose not approved by the United States. That should pretty much kill the U.S. arms-export market.
“*Eye-Opening Reality — A Lesson for African Leaders* Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says: In 2004, Malaysia purchased 8 F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets from the United States, which were among the most advanced aircraft at the time. The value of this deal exceeded $640 million. After receiving the aircraft, Malaysia formed a team of experts and engineers to conduct a detailed study of their features and combat capabilities.
The Malaysian experts discovered that the aircraft was transmitting every flight’s information to a US military base, such as: – Flight altitude – Speed – Location – Route – Mission details – And the pilot’s communication with the ground control room Not only that, but the aircraft’s operating system and autopilot feature could also be controlled from the US base. This means that if a US officer on the ground simply presses a button, the aircraft’s route can be changed, it can be crashed, or even the target of its attack can be altered. When Malaysia tried to modify the aircraft’s operating system, the United States and manufacturer McDonnell Douglas strongly objected. They even threatened to stop supplying parts and maintenance, and impose restrictions. Even when Malaysia requested specific parts to activate certain capabilities of the aircraft, the company rejected that as well. Ultimately, Malaysia realized that it had bought aircraft that could not be used in actual combat without US approval. This issue is not limited to Malaysia alone; many Arab and Muslim countries face the same reality. *The lesson is clear:* Until a nation develops its own defense technology, it will remain dependent on others.” (Source: TV interview on Al Jazeera with Mahathir Mohamad)
The above interview has been cited all over the internet on March 16, 2026. But the key information already was published in 2022:
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Claims American Fighters Are Only Useful for Airshows – Why F-18s Can’t Fight Without Washington’s Permission
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Claims American Fighters Are Only Useful for Airshows – Why F-18s Can’t Fight Without Washington’s Permission
In an interview with Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad provided insight into his country’s experience operating American militarywatchmagazine.com, Thread starter khansaheeb, Aug 17, 2022
https://defence.pk/threads/malaysian-prime-minister-mahathir-claims-american-fighters-are-only-useful-for-airshows-why-f-18s-cant-fight-without-washingtons-permission.749164/
Mahathir further elaborated: “The way they treated Malaysia as a buyer of the F-18, we find that the planes are only good for airshows. But we cannot program it for, say, attacks against other countries or for any other use. That is the experience of Malaysia. But I suspect that other countries also did not get the source codes… the planes are not really a weapon that you can control. The control is with the Americans.” He noted that European states may be provided with source codes, but indicated that few non-Western states would, and that even munitions for the F-18s could not be purchased to update the aircraft without approval from the U.S. government. The interviewer thus concluded that clients for F-16 of F-18 fighters “can only use them against targets designated by the United States, not targets that they themselves would like to hit.”
Mahathir’s statement has considerable implications given that Malaysia is currently considering purchasing a new generation of fighter jets to replace its F-18, MiG-29 and possibly even the Su-30. Kuala Lumpur has previously indicated an interest in the Russian MiG-35 and Su-57 next generation medium and heavyweight fighters, and Russia has offered to purchase its MiG-29s second hand to help offset the cost of a MiG-35 purchase. The Su-57 is likely to replace the Su-30MKM in future, although given the older platform’s still viable capabilities there is less of an urgent need to make such a purchase.
While other countries operating the F-18 have sought to replace them either with the F-18E Super Hornet or the F-35A Lightning II platforms, the former Prime Minister’s account of Malaysia’s experience with the Hornet indicates that future purchases of American fighters are unlikely. The F-18 could instead be replaced by more MiG-35 fighters, which are from the same weight range but have a lower operational cost and superior combat performance across the spectrum. Unlike U.S. aircraft, Russian fighters do not have similar restrictions on their use meaning countries can deploy them far more freely without political dependence on Moscow.