TOP secret documents have reportedly revealed that Chinese hackers stole 50 terabytes of United States classified military documents and information including of Joint Strike Fighter known as Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
The documents, which were disclosed by former US National Security Agency intelligence contractor Edward Snowden to German magazine Der Spiegel, show that Chinese cyber spies stole “huge volumes” of sensitive military information relating to the plane.
The stolen information includes details of the fighter’s radar systems, engine schematics, methods for cooling exhaust gas and aft deck heating contour maps.
The said size of stolen data, 50 terabytes, is equivalent to five libraries of US Congress. Documents on B-2, F-22, space-based laser, designs of US Navy’s nuclear submarine and anti-air missile were also stolen.
As reported last week, China’s new fifth-generation fighters, including its first attempt at a stealth fighter — the Chengdu J-20 — have significantly eroded the West’s superiority in the skies.
Experts have speculated that the Chengdu J-20 and China’s most advanced fighter jet, the Shenyang J-31 Falcon Hawk, have been heavily influenced by US design.
The Falcon Hawk has roughly the same appearance as the F-35.
