BELFAST — Spain has decided against the acquisition of a fleet of American-made F-35 fighter jets, instead opting to focus exclusively on potential rival Eurofighter Typhoon or Future Combat Air System (FCAS) orders.
“[T]he Spanish option involves the current Eurofighter and the FCAS in the future,” a spokesperson from the Spanish Ministry of Defense’s press office told Breaking Defense in a statement today.
The spokesperson declined to share additional details, but the Spanish newspaper El Pais first reported that Madrid made the decision to “postpone indefinitely” any orders for the Lockheed Martin-made fifth-generation jets in a bid to “prioritize investment in European industry.”
The publication further noted the impact across the Spanish armed forces that will unfold from not acquiring the stealth jet, ranging from the air force missing out on “the most technologically advanced option as a bridge to FCAS,” which is expected to enter service in 2040. El Pais also noted the decision could be a “strategic loss” for the Spanish navy vessel Juan Carlos I, which carries Harrier jets expected to bed down around 2030 and leaving only helicopters to be operated from the ship.
A Lockheed spokesperson told Breaking Defense in a statement, “Foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, and this matter is best addressed by the U.S. or Spanish government.”
In a 2021 interview with Breaking Defense, Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin’s executive vice president of aeronautics, highlighted Madrid’s Harrier issue and said the European nation had a “requirement to replace those Harriers.” He added, “The only option really would be an F-35 [short takeoff and landing variant]. So I’m pretty confident that Spain will have an interest in the F-35 associated with that.”
Spain is in the process of acquiring more fourth-generation Eurofighters, having already signed off on 45 aircraft under Halcon I and Halcon II contracts. Halcon is Spain’s national two-phase acquisition program to replace all F/A-18C/D Hornets, split between a $2.15 billion Halcon I contract, covering 20 aircraft, and the €4.6 billion ($4.8 billion) sister effort, comprising 25 units. Airbus declined to comment for this report.
Prioritizing Eurofighter and FCAS represents a strong endorsement of European industry at at time when the sixth generation program has been overshadowed by an ugly industrial dispute and uncomfortable partnership between Airbus and French manufacturer Dassault over how to move forward with an upcoming technology development phase.
It also comes as some other potential foreign F-35 customers, including Canada and Portugal, have signaled doubts about joining the American-led program amid geopolitical strain with the Trump administration.
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Politically, Spain was heavily criticized by US President Donald Trump at the NATO Summit in the Netherlands for not committing to a new alliance defense spending plan of 5 percent GDP, split between allocating 3.5 percent GDP on military items and an additional 1.5 percent on security investments like infrastructure.
“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment, but we are not going to do it,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in June, adding that spending 2.1 percent GDP would be enough for the country to meet its NATO obligations, according to France 24.
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Author: Tim Martin
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