Eventually, Germany will also buy the F-35s
On December 14, the budget commission of the Bundestag, the German parliament, approved the purchase of 35 F-35s, the fighters produced by the US defense giant Lockheed Martin
Germany is officially the latest country to join the F-35 team .
On December 14, the German Defense Ministry said it was buying 35 fifth-generation fighter jets produced by the US giant Lockheed Martin after the budget committee of the Bundestag, the German parliament, gave the go-ahead. The expenditure for aircraft is 8.3 billion euros.
Last March Christine Lambrecht, German Defense Minister, announced the order arguing that the F-35 will replace the Tornado fighter-bombers by 2030. The latter supplied from 1980 to its own air force (Luftwaffe). Germany will also upgrade its Eurofighter Typhoon jets for electronic warfare.
Berlin's order for 35 F-35As also includes an extensive package of engines, role-specific mission equipment, spare parts, technical and logistical support, training and armament, with the first eight aircraft to be delivered in 2026.
As Bloomberg points out, the German Air Force currently relies on the Tornado model and the newer Eurofighter Typhoon, and any next-generation European warplanes would not be available for more than another decade, prompting Germany to look for new aircraft at the abroad.
Meanwhile, Germany like other European countries is wading into sixth generation air combat systems. Last week the UK and Italy agreed to merge the Tempest project (sixth generation fighter) with Japan's parallel FX program into the Global Combat Air Program . The historic, long-awaited announcement came just days after firms in France, Germany and Spain secured the next phase of rival FCAS project to build a next-generation fighter jet that could be operational as early as 2040.
All the details.
THE GO-Ahead OF THE PARLIAMENT IN BERLIN
Yesterday, the Bundestag's budget committee approved the purchase of the F-35s, as part of a $14 billion procurement deal that German defense leaders will use over the next few years, drawing from a special $100 billion defense fund. euros announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
THE GERMAN SALES OFFICER TO LOCKHEED MARTIN
In total, Germany has ordered 35 Lockheed Martin-built fighter jets. It is an honor to formally welcome Germany to the F-35 Lightning II program,” said Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of the F-35 program at Lockheed Martin. "Germany's participation ensures that the European F-35 alliance continues to strengthen and grow through interoperability with NATO and allied nations."
"As a cornerstone for interoperability with NATO, the F-35 is the only fifth generation fighter available today to strengthen Germany's operational capability with allies" specifies the American defense giant.
FIRST F-35s ARRIVAL IN GERMANY IN 2026
Finally, Germany will receive the first batch of its F-35 fighters in 2026, although the first eight units will remain stationed in the United States for training purposes. According to Defense News , training of German pilots with the first new aircraft is expected to begin in 2026 in the United States. Those assets are expected to move to Germany the following year, before the Luftwaffe declares an initial operational capability in 2028. This timeline is of particular concern to the Germans because it requires facilities at the country's F-35 base, Büchel, in western Germany. Germany, are ready to accommodate modern aircraft by 2027.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/alla-fine-anche-la-germania-acquistera-gli-f-35/ on Thu, 15 Dec 2022 07:37:25 +0000.