Truth, Inspiration, Hope.

Germany Approves €10 Billion Deal to Secure F-35 Fighter Jets From the US

Published: December 14, 2022
A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany on April 25, 2018. (Image: REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/File Photo)

BERLIN, Germany — On Wednesday, Dec. 14, Germany secured the go-ahead to buy F-35 fighter jets produced by U.S. defense giant and leading engineering firm Lockheed Martin. The push comes as part of a military procurement project worth upwards of 13 billion euros (USD$13.85 billion), German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said.

The German parliament’s budget committee approved the spending, including 10 billion euros for the F-35 jets as well as funds for the purchase of encrypted digital radios and assault rifles.

These projects are among the first to tap money from a 100 billion euro (USD$106 billion) special fund that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in a major policy shift days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

Strengthening military operations

The money is meant to bring the German military’s weapons and equipment back up to standard after decades of attrition following the end of the Cold War.

Of the 100-billion-euro fund for the armed forces, Lambrecht said: “This will probably not be enough to close the gaps that emerged over the past years because we neglected procurement.”

An F-35 stealth fighter jet is pictured in this undated photograph. (Image: wikimedia / CC0 1.0)

Germany aims to buy 35 F-35 stealth fighter jets in total, including missiles and other weapons and equipment, with the first eight aircraft to be delivered in 2026.

The U.S. jet will replace the aging Tornado — the only German jet capable of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs; these are stored in Germany to be used in case of a conflict, Lambrecht said.

The German air force has been flying the Tornado since the 1980s, and Berlin is planning to phase it out between 2025 and 2030.

Berlin’s decision to buy the F-35 jets, which was announced in March but needed final approval by parliament, upset French President Emmanuel Macron.

Paris fears the deal could undercut the development of a joint Franco-German fighter jet that is supposed to be ready in the 2040s, Reuters reported.

Reuters contributed to this report.