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Germany to buy 35 Lockheed F-35 fighter jets from U.S. amid Ukraine crisis -Breaking

by Mike Robinson

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© Reuters. FILEPHOTO: An F-35 Lockheed Martin aircraft can be seen at ILA Air Show Berlin on April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/File Photograph

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BERLIN, (Reuters) -Germany plans to buy 35 F-35 fighter aircraft from the U.S. to replace its outdated Tornado. The announcement was made Monday by Germany’s Defence Ministry. It is the first defense deal announced since Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised a 100-billion-euro increase to military forces in response Russia’s invasion.

This move was part of a seismic shift in German security policies. It included a promise to meet NATO’s defense spending target of 2%.

Christine Lambrecht, Defense Minister, stated that after reviewing all possible options she decided to buy an F-35 airplane as a replacement of the Tornado for nuclear sharing.

German Tornado jets can only carry U.S. nuclear weapons. They are also stored in Germany for emergency situations. However, the Tornado is still in use by Germany’s air force since the 1980s. Berlin intends to eliminate it from its fleet between 2025-25-30.

Lambrecht stated that the F-35 is a great replacement for NATO Allies, and offers unparalleled opportunities to cooperate with other European Partners. He was referring specifically to the fact many countries have placed orders for the stealth plane. Lockheed Martin (NYSE:).

Reuters was told by a German defense source that Berlin had been considering purchasing an F-35, but no final decision had yet to be made.

Berlin will also buy 15 Eurofighter jets for electronic warfare. This capability is yet to be created by Airbus and France, the document reveals.

Boeing (NYSE) will lose the F-35 deal. The F-18, which was originally purchased by Annegret Karrenbauer, former German defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in order to replace Tornado, is being sold.

France may also be upset by this decision. Paris watched Germany’s discussions over F-18 and F-35. Paris was concerned that a deal might hinder the development of the joint Franco-German fighter plane, which is expected to be available in 2040s.

To soothe French fears, Lambrecht repeated Scholz’s call for continued German support of the joint fighter program.

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