DEFENSELESS: Key US systems were compromised. (
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Chinese hackers stole secret details of more than two dozen of America’s most advanced weapons systems, including missile defenses, fighter jets and combat ships, a Pentagon report disclosed.

The cyber theft gives a huge boost to China’s defense industry and wipes out much of the US military edge in a potential showdown with Beijing, said stunned officials.

“They just saved themselves 25 years of research. It’s nuts,” a senior military official told The Washington Post.

The hackers targeted defense contractors and government agencies. “In many cases, they don’t know they’ve been hacked until the FBI comes knocking on the door,” the official said.

Among systems compromised are the most advanced form of Patriot missile system, known as the PAC-3; the F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet; and the Army’s state-of-the-art Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile-defense system.
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