Luftwaffe going stealth: US approves the F-35 for Germany

The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale to Germany of 35 F-35 stealth fighters, together with a substantial armament package, for USD 8.4 billion.

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As announced in March, the German Defense Ministry had determined to replace the Tornado strike and electronic warfare aircraft with a combination of Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighters and Airbus Defense & Space’s Eurofighter ECR, starting in 2030.

Vea también: Confirmed! F-35 and Eurofighter ECR to replace Luftwaffe’s Tornado

The incorporation of the F-35 responded to the need to maintain the nuclear deterrent capability of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). Of the options that had been considered to replace the Panavia Tornado (the Super Hornet and Typhoon), the F-35A was the only aircraft certified to deliver the US B-61 nuclear bomb, of which Germany possesses a score, as part of its responsibility for NATO «nuclear sharing».

In response to Germany’s formal request for the purchase of the F-35A, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) issued a press release detailing the U.S. offer, which not only includes the aircraft and its logistics section but would also come with an interesting initial armament package.

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The main items that make up the offer, valued at around 8.4 billion dollars, are the following:

• 35 F-35(A) conventional take-off and landing fighter jets
• 35 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines (2 spares)
• 105 AIM-120 C8 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles
• 75 AGM-158B/B2 (JASSM-ER) extended-range air-to-surface missiles
• 344 GBU-53 SDB-II small-diameter bombs
• 162 BLU-109 2,000 lb. anti-bunker bombs
• 264 MK-82 500-pound general-purpose bombs
• 180 JDAM guidance kits for GBU-31
• 246 JDAM guidance kits for GBU-54
• 75 AIM-9X Block II+ Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles.

An extensive list of accessory equipment such as training missiles, ground logistics equipment, software and maintenance support, personnel training, etc. is also detailed.

From now on, the only thing left to do is to finalize the last details and sooner rather than later, the contract will be signed and Germany will join the growing list of European countries that operate the only exportable stealth fighter of the West.