Bringing Fleet Total To 50 To Replace Aging Tornadoes

The German Ministry of Defense is reportedly planning to order an additional 15 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft for a total of about €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion), according to a German language media outlet citing a source in the parliament.

A confidential submission describing an “additional procurement” of 15 aircraft had been sent to the Bundestag’s budget committee. This comes despite the Ministry’s denial of plans for a follow-on order earlier in the year. However, the proposal is part of a renewed impetus to expand Germany’s defense budget under the country’s Zeitenwende policy, meaning a turning point or new era referring to a shift in Germany’s foreign and security policy announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

The new tranche of aircraft would add to the 35 F-35As ordered in 2022 to replace the aging Panavia Tornado fleet which the Luftwaffe has been flying since the 1980s. Those aircraft have been performing Germany’s NATO nuclear-sharing mission, operating out of Büchel Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Preparations are underway at Büchel Air Base to accommodate the incoming F-35s, expected to begin arriving in the second half of 2026. Hardened shelters, communications systems, and upgrades to the nuclear security infrastructure are being built or modernized. The Luftwaffe plan to have their F-35 fleet fully operational by the end of the decade.

Any follow-on order will require the review and approval of the budget committee before negotiations can begin with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government. If the order is approved, these additional aircraft would be delivered in the early 2030s.

FMI:  www.bundestag.de/