American F-35 for Germany


The old aircraft of the German Air Force had to be replaced a long time ago. New data accelerates the purchase of American F-35s.

This is the first major arms purchase for the German army, the Bundeswehr, since the outbreak of war in Ukraine: According to the German Ministry of Defense, Germany plans to purchase 35 state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets from the US military equipment industry Lockheed Martin . The goal is to improve military co-operation with NATO allies and other European countries, Social Democrat Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said recently in Berlin.

More suitable for preventing a nuclear threat

This type of fighter aircraft has many advantages, according to experts in military equipment, which is why they were chosen to replace the now obsolete German Tornado of the Bundeswehr. In the context of NATO’s “deterrent line”, the F-35s are even considered the most appropriate to deal with a nuclear threat in the context of NATO’s “nuclear sharing” strategy.

It is worth noting that the original design of the German army foresaw the purchase of American F-18s, however the F-35s were deemed more appropriate, due to the ability to carry nuclear warheads. The F-18s, on the other hand, have not yet received relevant certification for corresponding transports.

A well-known goal that is accelerated due to the war

In any case, the replacement of the old Tornado was provided for in the agreement to form a Social Democrat-Green-Liberal cooperation government. Under the weight of the war in Ukraine, the renewal of the German arsenal was deemed necessary to accelerate. This was also evident from the historic speech of the German Chancellor on February 27 in the German parliament, where he essentially announced the “rearmament” of Germany.

It should be noted, finally, that the plans for the purchase of the F-35 are the first major move to strengthen the German army, after the announcement of the establishment of a special fund of 100 billion euros for the German army, but also the increase of annual expenditure on German defense over 2% of GDP.

Dimitra Kyranoudi, Berlin

Source: Deutsche Welle

Source: Capital

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