Pentagon prepares F-35 for quantum computing threat

Defence affairs analysis - Def-Geopolitics

The F-35 Joint Program Office is preparing to modify the fighter’s In-Line File Encryption Device software to support government-mandated quantum-resistant algorithms, according to a presolicitation notice published on May 6, 2026.

The notice, issued through Naval Air Systems Command, signals that the F-35 program is beginning the process of hardening one of the aircraft’s core cryptographic systems against the threat posed by future quantum computers. The F-35 JPO intends to solicit, negotiate, and award a sole source contract to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics under FAR 6.103-1, the federal acquisition regulation provision covering cases where only one responsible source can satisfy agency requirements. Capability statements from other potential offerors are due by May 21, 2026.

The In-Line File Encryption Device is the hardware and software component responsible for encrypting and protecting the signed code inside the F-35’s systems. Modifying its software to incorporate quantum-resistant algorithms means replacing or augmenting the current cryptographic foundations with mathematical approaches specifically designed to remain secure against an adversary using quantum computing to break encryption. That threat is not theoretical — the U.S. government has been working for years through the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish quantum-resistant cryptographic standards, and the mandate to implement those standards across government systems is now reaching operational military platforms like the F-35.

The practical challenge the contract notice identifies is as important as the cryptographic one. The vendor must verify that the software update can be applied in the field without opening the enclosure — meaning the modification has to be deployable to aircraft at operating bases around the world through normal software update procedures, without requiring the physical device to be disassembled, returned to a depot, or replaced outright. For a fighter jet deployed across more than a dozen countries and operated by Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps units in various locations, the ability to push a cryptographic update through field-level procedures rather than requiring hardware returns is a significant logistical requirement that shapes how the contract must be written and executed.