Germany rejects reports of interest in purchasing additional F-35 fighter jets

A spokesperson for the German Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the ministry is not currently considering purchasing additional F-35 fighter jets from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. This was in response to a report from a parliamentary source who confirmed to Reuters on Monday that Defense Minister Boris Pistorius intended to expand the order by another 15 aircraft.

Berlin's original plan was to purchase 35 F-35 jets to replace the aging Tornado fleet, which also fulfills the strategic task of transporting American nuclear weapons as part of NATO's joint defense. The expected cost of an expansion is estimated at around €2.5 billion.

The contradiction between the official statement and parliamentary sources comes just a few months after the federal government expressed its lack of interest in additional aircraft in July. There is currently speculation that the change of course could be related to the increased defense budget.

Should Germany nevertheless go ahead with the purchase, this could cause tensions with France, which is developing its own FCAS/SCAF fighter jet program together with Germany.

(reuters, max)