Replacement for Tornado Fleet
Berlin is flirting with the purchase of F-35 jets
2/4/2022 12:36 am
The Air Force wants to retire its aging Tornados. In the search for a successor, the F-18 fighter jet has so far been the favourite. But now the F-35 from Lockheed Martin seems to have the edge.
Germany is leaning towards buying the US F-35 fighter jet from Lockheed Martin to replace the aging Tornado jet in its nuclear sharing role, according to a defense official. However, a final decision has not yet been made, according to defense circles. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to address the issue during his visit to Washington next week.
A second source close to the German military said a possible purchase of the F-35 is “on the table again” but no decisions are expected anytime soon. There was initially no comment from the federal government. The US State Department declined to comment, referring to the government in Berlin. It remained unclear how many fighter jets could be purchased.
The Tornado has been in service since the 1980s, but Germany wants to decommission the jet between 2025 and 2030. Under the grand coalition, however, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer had favored the Boeing F-18 as the successor.
Two weeks ago, FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann spoke out in favor of the procurement of F-35 jets off. “Most allies fly this system,” said the Chairman of the Defense Committee of the “World”. “I think it’s a good solution if we continue to develop the Eurofighter with a view to the Franco-German project for a fighter aircraft of the future.”
In the past legislative period, the Inspector of the Air Force, Ingo Gerhartz, proposed a mixed solution consisting of the older US jet F-18, which is to be used for nuclear sharing and electronic warfare, and Eurofighters.