Germany signs contract to buy F-35 jets

Germany on Wednesday signed a deal to buy dozens of US-made F-35 fighter jets, US officials said, part of the country's military overhaul following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"The German F-35 programme will ensure the continuation of Germany's alliance commitments and guarantee NATO's credible deterrence in the future," said the US embassy in Berlin in a statement.

The 35 jets, the world's most advanced warplanes, should be delivered between 2026 and 2029, it said.

Berlin had announced in March the planned purchase of the aircraft made by Lockheed Martin to replace its ageing Tornado fleet.

But the defence ministry in Berlin earlier this month raised concerns about the plan, warning of "delays and additional costs" in the nearly 10 billion euro ($10.5 billion) acquisition, in a letter to parliament's budget committee.

Germany's lower house of parliament still decided to press ahead and approve the acquisition on Wednesday.

"The German-US defence partnership has never been stronger and is a central pillar of NATO's transatlantic partnership," said the embassy statement.

The cost of the jets is to come from a planned 100 billion euro investment in the armed forces, unveiled following the outbreak of the Ukraine war in a bid to overhaul Germany's underfunded military.

sr/bp

LOCKHEED MARTIN

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Ex-US Marine accused of training Chinese military pilots: indictment
Washington (AFP) Dec 13, 2022
A former US military pilot has been accused by the United States of conspiracy and breaking an arms control law by training Chinese military pilots to land on aircraft carriers, according to an unsealed indictment. Daniel Edmund Duggan, an Australian citizen, "provided training to PRC [People's Republic of China] military pilots" at a South Africa-based flight academy on at least three occasions between 2010 and 2012, according to the 2017 indictment unsealed by a court in Washington last week. ... read more