Germany to Buy Lockheed-Built F-35 for Nuclear Sharing Mission

Germany has decided to procure the Lockheed Martin-built (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to replace its Panavia Tornado fighter aircraft by 2030, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

Christine Lambrecht, Germany’s defense minister, said the F-35 will be for the nuclear sharing mission and offers a potential for cooperation with NATO allies and other European partners.

Reuters reported that Germany, which ruled out the F-35 as an option for a program to replace Tornado fighters in 2019, will purchase up to 35 F-35s from the U.S.

Lambrecht noted that the European country would continue to build the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft for electronic warfare missions and pursue development work with France on the sixth-generation Future Combat Air System.

The decision marks a major shift for Germany in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the report noted.

In 2021, Finland and Switzerland chose the F-35 aircraft from separate industry competitions as the next multirole fighter jet for Finnish and Swiss air forces.

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