Minister of Defense Boris Pistorious shut down suggestions that Germany could reverse its decision to buy the F-35A Lightning II following recent tensions between Europe and the United States.
Speaking to German media, Pistorious said “The United States is and will remain an important ally for us – also for the Bundeswehr’s equipment. This applies not only to the F-35, but also to our other projects”. Proposals to cancel Germany’s order for 35 F-35A Lightning IIs have come while the current defense and security relationship between the United States and Europe faces criticism from high ranking members of the new U.S. administration.
Critics of the order say, while the U.S. government fails to guarantee that it will honor mutual defense commitments, Europe should instead shift investments to home-grown defense industries. Questions have also been raised regarding the long term sustainability of operating American equipment like the F-35 should technical and software support be suspended, which is now feared by officials as U.S. and European foreign policies diverge.
An obvious disconnect here at this NATO summit:
🇺🇸Hegseth tells defence ministers that Europe should take control of its own security.
🇪🇺Then he tells Europe to step aside while Trump takes control of their security for them through bilateral 🇺🇦negotiations with Putin. pic.twitter.com/AwrLpuTR6z
— Dave Keating (@DaveKeating) February 13, 2025
While reports of the U.S. having a ‘kill switch’ that can disable foreign operated F-35s can be dismissed, it is certainly the case that withdrawal of U.S. support would risk degrading the F-35’s operational potential in the short term and potentially ground aircraft in the longer term. We investigate this story in detail here.
These concerns were only amplified when U.S. President Donald Trump commented during the Boeing F-47 announcement that allies could be offered a downgraded version of the new fighter. While it has never been a secret that for many military aircraft the exact specifications will differ for each individual customer, it is perhaps the first time a U.S. President has directly said export aircraft would deliberately have reduced capabilities.
Elsewhere in Europe, Portugal’s previous plan to order F-35s now appears to be back on the drawing board. In Denmark, the Chair of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, Rasmus Jarlov, has said he regrets his role in procuring F-35s for the Royal Danish Air Force. The country has been particularly in the spotlight after President Trump declared his desire for Danish territory Greenland to become a U.S. territory.
I dont know if there is a kill switch in the F35’s or not. We obviously can not take your word for it.
As one of the decision makers behind Denmark’s purchase of F35’s, I regret it.
The USA can certainly disable the planes by simple stopping the supply of spare parts. They… https://t.co/rDucWMUXDz
— Rasmus Jarlov (@RasmusJarlov) March 19, 2025
Germany’s F-35 procurement stems primarily from the German Air Force’s nuclear role where their aircraft would be equipped with U.S. owned B61 nuclear bombs. These weapons are pre-positioned to several European bases under the NATO nuclear sharing program. While the Panavia Tornado, which currently performs the nuclear role, is certified to deliver the B61, the bomb has not been integrated on newer European aircraft like the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The focus on the nuclear role somewhat explains Germany’s relatively small order number of 35 F-35As compared to a Typhoon order book which keeps increasing in size. In the longer term, the German Air Force intends to procure the sixth generation Future Combat Air System alongside France and Spain. Eurofighter partners Italy and the United Kingdom have instead teamed with Japan for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), or Tempest.
Initially, an order for the Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet seemed likely in addition to more Typhoons. However, although the process to do so would likely be easier to facilitate than the same for Typhoon, the Super Hornet is also currently not certified to carry the B61.
While Boeing were confident that the requirements could be ironed out according to Germany’s desired procurement schedule, the increasing age of the Tornado fleet means there is little margin for delays. The type’s sunset date in German service is currently projected for 2030. Italy’s Tornados are likely to be retired even sooner, and the hard-worked Royal Air Force fleet was retired in 2019 only a few weeks after completing their last frontline mission.
After many years of deliberation and shifting plans, Germany’s F-35 order was confirmed on Mar. 14, 2022. The U.S. State Department approved the foreign military sale (FMS) in July of the same year. All German F-35s will be assembled at Lockheed Martin’s massive Fort Worth facility, and the first deliveries are expected in 2026.
