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Bloomberg
Germany is set to receive the first batch of its F-35 fighter jets in 2026, though the initial eight units will remain stationed in the US for training purposes, creating a tight schedule to build up more advanced air-defense capabilities before the aging Tornado models are retired in 2030.
The procurement schedule foresees a handover in tranches, with 10 F-35 deliveries in 2027 and the same number in 2028, and a final batch of seven by 2029, according to German lawmakers.
The first models will remain at a base in Texas so that pilots of Germany’s Luftwaffe air force can receive training, said the lawmakers, who asked not to be identified because the timeline isn’t public.
In total, Germany has ordered 35 of the Lockheed Martin Corp-built combat aircraft, part of a major push to upgrade the country’s aging kit. Its air force now relies on the Tornado model and the more recent
Eurofighter Typhoon, and any European next-generation warplane would not become available for more than another decade, prompting Germany to look overseas for new aircraft.
The defense and budget committees of Germany’s lower house of parliament approved the procurement of the F-35s, with a proposed budget of 9.9 billion euros ($10.5 billion).
The money comes from a debt-financed special fund worth €100 billion that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the end of February.
German Air Force Chief Ingo Gerhartz called the decision to order the F-35 “historic†and said that “many†of Germany’s Nato partners will follow suit.