Germany remains committed to adopting the F-35 from the United States amidst the new rifts within the NATO alliance. Turkey may also be on track for new F-35s.
Due to the emerging rift with the Trump administration, NATO members Canada and Portugal may opt out of adopting the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation stealth fighter. However, two other NATO countries are in the news this week for their commitment to the program.
Germany had been a late adopter of the multirole fighter, only signing a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the aircraft in 2022. However, it has since moved into supercruise, committing to build a second F-35 center fuselage Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) in 2023. The new facility, operated by Rheinmetall in Weeze in the Kleve district, will manufacture at least 400 F-35A fuselage sections for Germany’s Luftwaffe and other European allied and partner countries.
Last week, German Defense Ministry spokesman Mitko Mueller confirmed that Berlin would remain committed to the Lightning II and dismissed claims that Washington could “shut down” the aircraft remotely.
“No crisis meeting is planned, neither today nor in the future. We are keeping this project alive,” said Mueller.
Production of the first German F-35A began last December. The aircraft is reportedly on track to be completed in 2026 and will be used in the initial Luftwaffe training for pilots and technicians. Deployment of the F-35 to Büchel Air Base in Germany is expected to begin in 2027.
Europe’s Need for the F-35
The Ukrainian-based publication Militarnyi suggested that the lack of alternative options drives Germany’s commitment to the F-35.
“It should be noted that today, there are no direct alternatives to the American F-35 fighter jet. Most of the proposals produced in Europe are fourth-generation aircraft with significantly limited functionality,” the report explained.
“In addition, only one European aircraft can be used as a carrier of B61 nuclear bombs, the Panavia Tornado fighter-bomber, which Germany plans to completely retire by 2030 and replace with F-35As certified to use nuclear warheads of this type.”
Militarnyi didn’t directly note that the French Air and Space Forces employ the French-made Dassault Rafale, a fourth-generation “omnirole” fighter, in a nuclear deterrence role.
Dependence on the F-35 for now could result in a redoubling of effort for the joint Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS), one of the two European programs underway to develop a sixth-generation manned fighter.
Turkey on Track to Rejoin the F-35 Program?
The Trump administration is also reportedly paving the way for Turkey to rejoin the F-35 program. Citing two unnamed sources close to the matter, Fox News first reported last week that “Trump expressed an intent to help finalize the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and is open to the idea of selling Turkey its true prized goal if the two sides can come to an agreement that renders Turkey’s Russian S-400 system inoperable.”
As previously reported, Ankara has acknowledged that it never activated the S-400 Triumf air-defense system. There has been speculation that Turkey could be convinced to sell it, with India being named as a possible buyer.
Moscow’s need to approve the transfer would be a sticking point for any potential sale, and there has been speculation that the Kremlin could put up a serious roadblock.
Making the system inoperable is now on the table.
“That agreement could look like partially disassembling the machinery or moving it to a U.S.-controlled base in Turkey,” Fox News added.
Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program during the first Trump administration, with Washington and NATO leaders stressing that the Russian air defense system was compatible with the Lightning II and that it could compromise the security of the aircraft.
More Than Just More F-35 Sales
Finding a path for Turkey’s reentry into the F-35 program may involve more than just additional sales of the fifth-generation stealth fighter, especially as more than 1,100 are already in service and current orders will be fulfilled through the mid-2030s and perhaps later.
For the White House, this could be about maintaining ties with a NATO nation that is sometimes overly friendly with Russia.
“Trump’s about making a business deal here, right? We don’t need Turkey with nearly one million soldiers on the other side and leaning more towards Russia and China, right?” Jonathan Bass, Argent LNG CEO and international trade expert, told the New York Times.
“Turkey is a major economy. We need them to come down on the right side of the fence. We need them from a supply chain standpoint,” Bass added.
“If you don’t give [Turkey President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan a seat at the table, he’s going to make his table.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock/ Christopher Chambers.
