Germany will replace part of its aging fleet of Tornado fighter jets with US F-35 stealth fighter jets and Eurofighters to ensure synergies with NATO allies, according to Berlin.

The decision to acquire 35 F-35A and 15 Eurofighter aircraft will allow “significant reinforcement of the army’s equipment”, argued the German Defense Minister, Christine Lambrecht.

The question of replacing the Tornados, which date from the 1980s and 1990s, had been discussed for several years, given that Germany has a fleet of 93 aircraft of this type, many of them in disrepair.

“In my opinion, there can only be one answer to Putin’s aggression: unity within NATO and a credible deterrent force”, defended German air force inspector Ingo Gerhartz, justifying this decision with the need to guarantee the security of airspace. of the Atlantic Alliance.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought about a radical shift in German security policy, illustrated by the announcement of a €100 billion financial package to modernize the Armed Forces, as well as a budget of at least 2% of GDP in defense.

The F-35 manufactured by the US company Lockheed Martin is considered the most successful fighter jet today, despite its high price, which is around 145 million euros per unit.

The planes will be used by Berlin mainly to transport US nuclear missiles as part of NATO deterrence operations and their choice is justified by the advantage of creating synergies within the Atlantic Alliance.

In addition to the United States, many NATO countries have placed orders for F-35s, including the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Poland.

Lambrecht explained that the choice of F-35s will allow Germany a “unique potential for cooperation” with its allies.

Source: with Agencies