German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius intends to order an additional 15 F-35 fighter jets, Der Spiegel reported on Monday. In total, the German Air Force is to have 50 of these combat aircraft.
In confidential documents prepared for the Bundestag’s budget committee, the planned transaction is listed as a “supplementary purchase of F-35A aircraft.” Der Spiegel has reviewed these documents, and the magazine’s reports were confirmed by Reuters.
Earlier, Germany had already ordered 35 fifth-generation F-35 fighters from the American defense company Lockheed Martin. The first of them are expected to be delivered to Germany in 2027. With the additional order, Germany will have a total of 50 such aircraft.
According to Bundestag planners, the purchase of 15 additional jets will require spending around 2.5 billion euros. It is possible that, due to the expanded fleet, a new air base will be established in Germany.
In the event of a major conflict, the F-35s will be capable of carrying American nuclear bombs stored in Germany.
Due to the Russian threat – including drones – air superiority is considered one of the main points in the development plan of the Bundeswehr, which, according to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s announcements, is to become the strongest army in Europe.
“The fact that Germany wants to grant another multi-billion contract to Lockheed Martin should please the White House. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly made it clear that the American industry must benefit from additional European investments in their own defense,” noted Der Spiegel. The large U.S. purchase will also“fuel doubts” about the German-French project to build the European next-generation fighter jet Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the magazine observed. According to Der Spiegel, the project has “stalled.” To save it, the governments in Paris and Berlin “must find a solution by the end of the year.“