Germany announces purchase of F-35A Lightning II for nuclear deterrent

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced that the Bundestag Budget Committee approved several major projects, including the purchase of 35 F-35A stealth fighters to maintain its nuclear deterrent capability following the decommissioning of the Panavia Tornado.

Ads

Der Haushaltsausschuss hat heute im #Bundestag zahlreiche Projekte freigegeben, u.a. die Nachfolge Gewehr #G36, Nachrüstung Schützenpanzer #Puma und die Beschaffung #F35-A. Ministerin Lambrecht unterstreicht die Bedeutung für die #Bundeswehr: pic.twitter.com/KDoX95QSuq

— Verteidigungsministerium (@BMVg_Bundeswehr) December 14, 2022

Lockheed Martin issued a press release welcoming Germany’s decision:

«Congratulations to Germany on procuring the F-35A. Germany is the ninth foreign military sales country to join the program,» said Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, F-35 Program Executive Officer. «We look forward to working with them to deliver the F-35 Air System to meet their national defense requirements.»

The U.S. company reports that the agreement includes a complete package of engines, mission-specific equipment, spare and replacement parts, technical and logistical support, training and armament.

Ads

«It is an honor to formally welcome Germany to the F-35 Lightning II Program. Germany’s participation ensures the F-35’s European alliance continues to strengthen and grow through interoperability with NATO and ally nations,» said Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. «The F-35 is the most advanced, survivable, best value fighter giving pilots the critical advantage against any adversary, enabling them to execute their mission and safely return home.»

Approximate cost

While the final cost of the fifth-generation aircraft purchase will be known after the contract is signed, in July, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) issued a press release detailing the composition of the U.S. offer.

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

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.

Germany thus joins a growing list of operators of this modern aircraft. To date, the F-35 operates from 26 bases worldwide, with nine nations operating F-35s on their home soil. There are more than 875 F-35s in service today, with more than 1,845 pilots and 13,350 maintainers trained on the aircraft.