Preferring European aircraft: Spain puts purchase of US F-35 fighter jets on hold
tagesanzeiger.ch/kampfjets-spanien-legt-kauf-von-f-35-auf-eis-857671200673
Photo: tagesanzeiger.ch · view article
Spain Halts F-35 Purchase to Prioritize European DefenseSpain delays F-35 acquisition to allocate 85% of defense funds within Europe by 2030, aligning with EU goals.
Key FactsAug 6, 2025 · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: tagesanzeiger.ch
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: tagesanzeiger.ch
- The Spanish government has postponed the acquisition of the US-made F-35 stealth fighter indefinitely.
- Spain plans to spend 2% of its GDP on defense, with 85% of that budget primarily invested in Europe.
- In Switzerland, the purchase of 36 F-35 jets faces significant opposition due to rising costs and geopolitical risks.
- The EU aims to invest at least half of defense budgets in European arms manufacturers by 2030.
Story Details
| Last Updated | |
| Total Articles | 3 |
Main Topics
2006 multi-role combat aircraft family by Lockheed Martin
News on this topic
Rejection of Donald Trump: German NATO partner no longer wants F-35 fighter jets
fr.de/politik/absage-an-trump-deutscher-nato-partner-moechte-keine-35-kampfjets-mehr-zr-93872634.html
Similar to This
Previous
F-35 fighter jets: Finland criticizes expensive upgrades and delays: Finland received its first F-35 fighter jets at the beginning of the month. However ...
nzz.ch/schweiz/kritik-am-kampfjet-f-35-finnland-aergert-sich-ueber-verspaetungen-und-teure-nachbesserungen-beim-us-flieger-ld.10027877
Pistorius accepts first F-35A jet for the German Armed Forces in Texas: In Texas, German Defense Minister Pistorius took delivery of the first of 35 F-35A ...
tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/pistorius-texas-f-35-100.html
Key FactsGermany Receives First F-35 in Texas
Sep 18, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abendblatt.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: abendblatt.de
- Boris Pistorius attended the handover ceremony at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth plant in Texas.
- Germany’s coalition government ordered 35 aircraft in 2022 for approximately 10 billion euros.
- The first eight will initially remain in the United States for pilot training; the first aircraft is scheduled for Germany in 2027.
- In wartime, the jets would deliver U.S. nuclear weapons from Büchel; airfield reconstruction costs about two billion euros.
Proof of the strength of the transatlantic partnership.— Boris Pistorius (SPD), Defence Minister, during the handover ceremony in front of the F-35A fighter jet in Fort Worth, Texas
Armaments: Germany is not considering buying more F-35 fighter jets: Merz expressed skepticism about the realization of the long-planned FCAS arms project ...
handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/ruestung-deutschland-erwaegt-keinen-kauf-weiterer-f-35-kampfflugzeuge/100201597.html
A possibility for Europe? The F-35 can apparently be "jailbroken": Niederländischer Beamter behauptet, F-35-Kampfjets könnten manipuliert werden ...
telepolis.de/article/Moeglichkeit-fuer-Europa-Die-F-35-kann-offenbar-gejailbreakt-werden-11179489.html
Key FactsTechnical Control Over F-35 Fighters Explored
Feb 18, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: n-tv.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: n-tv.de
- A Dutch defense state secretary stated that F-35 jets can be 'jailbroken,' allowing removal of software restrictions similar to smartphones.
- This suggests Europe is considering ways to operate the fighters independently from the US amid rising political tensions.
- There are speculations about a US 'kill switch' that could disable the jets, although Germany denies such a feature exists.
- Experts warn that halting updates or spare parts deliveries from the US could significantly degrade the F-35's combat readiness.
One can jailbreak the F-35 like an iPhone— Gijs Tuinman, Dutch Secretary of Defense, in the BNR Nieuwsradio Podcast.
Cheaper than Eurofighter and F-35: NATO partner aims for Champions League of fighter jets
fr.de/wirtschaft/neuer-kampfjet-von-nato-partner-ist-guenstiger-als-eurofighter-und-35-zr-94138754.html
Key FactsSouth Korea’s Affordable Jet Challenges Global Fighters
Jan 25, 2026 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: fr.de
- South Korea aims to enter the international fighter jet market with the domestically developed KF-21 Boramae starting in 2026.
- The base model is priced at approximately $83 million and the advanced Block II around $112 million, undercutting competitors like the F-35 and Eurofighter.
- Equipped with stealth features and multirole capabilities, a further upgraded Block-III version is already in development.
- Interest from countries such as Poland, Indonesia, and the Philippines highlights South Korea’s growing export ambitions.
The fighter jet is to become the backbone of the future air force.— Former President Moon Jae-in stated this during the presentation of the KF-21 Boramae.
Federal Council wants to buy fewer F-35 fighter jets due to additional costs: Switzerland will initially purchase fewer than the originally planned 36 F-35 ...
handelszeitung.ch/newsticker/bundesrat-will-wegen-mehrkosten-weniger-f-35-kampfjets-kaufen-890776-1
Defense industry at its limit: US Air Force reportedly has too few fighter jets: In the struggle for air superiority, the US Air Force relies on modern fighter ...
giessener-allgemeine.de/wirtschaft/ruestungsindustrie-am-limit-us-air-force-soll-zu-wenig-kampfjets-haben-zr-94016233.html
Air Force Chief Peter Merz on criticism of the F-35 fighter jet and the additional costs
nzz.ch/schweiz/wir-kaufen-keinen-flieger-primaer-fuer-die-luftpolizei-sagt-der-kommandant-der-schweizer-luftwaffe-ld.1897791
F-35: Reduced modernization and delivery problems – Swiss jets affected?: The US Court of Auditors criticizes the F-35 program. Modernization with a new software ...
nzz.ch/schweiz/beim-f-35-kommt-es-erneut-zu-verzoegerungen-ld.1901168
US fighter pilot spends 50 minutes talking to engineers - then his F-35 falls out of the sky
focus.de/politik/ausland/us-kampfpilot-funkt-50-minuten-mit-ingenieuren-dann-faellt-seine-f-35-vom-himmel_c219f2d1-73c2-4eff-9c45-b8427517bb38.html
F-35 debacle: Did the USA rip off Switzerland?: Switzerland is coming up with its demand for a fixed price. The USA wants more money for the F-35 fighter jets ...
handelszeitung.ch/politik/haben-die-usa-die-schweiz-uber-den-tisch-gezogen-851883
Switzerland must accept additional costs for the procurement of the F-35 fighter jets.
nzz.ch/schweiz/keine-einigung-mit-den-usa-die-schweiz-muss-bei-der-beschaffung-der-f-35-kampfjets-mehrkosten-akzeptieren-ld.1897650
Because of Trump: Spain no longer investing in American F-35s: Spain plans to stop investing in American jets such as the F-35. Instead, the money will remain in ...
businessinsider.de/politik/wegen-trump-spanien-investiert-nicht-mehr-in-amerikanische-f-35/
How other countries feel about the F-35 after Trump's tariff hammer: After Donald Trump imposed tariffs on foreign countries, the question of purchasing F-35 ...
bluewin.ch/de/news/wissen-technik/wie-andere-laender-nach-trumps-zoll-hammer-zur-f-35-stehen-2818017.html
Yeni Safak English Aug 06 25
Spain shelves plans to buy F-35 fighter jets from US: Local media: Madrid seeks European alternatives, suspending preliminary talks with US company ...
yenisafak.com/en/news/spain-shelves-plans-to-buy-f-35-fighter-jets-from-us-local-media-3706018
He has to save the fighter jet purchase: The extreme marathon runner should find a solution to stabilize the largest Swiss arms deal in history ...
tagesanzeiger.ch/f-35-urs-loher-ist-der-mann-im-schleudersitz-er-muss-den-kampfjet-kauf-retten-729502306610
Paid articlePaywall
Rheinmetall starts production of F-35 fighter jets in Germany: Rheinmetall will build F-35 fighter jets for Lockheed Martin in North Rhine-Westphalia ...
berliner-zeitung.de/politik-gesellschaft/geopolitik/rheinmetall-startet-produktion-von-f-35-kampfjets-in-deutschland-li.2338470
F-35's advanced stealth makes it hard to kill, not invisible: Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet is one of the world's top stealth aircraft ...
businessinsider.com/f-35-stealth-fighter-isnt-invisible-2025-5
Trump's handling of Ukraine and tariffs has NATO rethinking the U.S.-made F-35 fighter
npr.org/2025/03/19/nx-s1-5330475/f35-fighter-nato-trump-gripen
F-35: Bundeswehr gets US fighter jet - and shall fly nuclear weapons: Germany is apparently about to make the first major investment in the Bundeswehr from the ...
welt.de/wirtschaft/article237530979/F-35-Bundeswehr-bekommt-US-Kampfjet-und-soll-Atomwaffen-fliegen.html
Next