Overview

• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius intends to add 15 F-35A jets, taking Germany’s planned fleet to 50, according to Der Spiegel and a parliamentary source.
• Confidential papers sent to the Bundestag budget committee put the extra batch at about €2.5 billion and indicate the buy could draw on the €100 billion special defense fund.
• A follow-on order requires budget-committee approval before talks with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government can proceed.
• The additional jets would complement 35 ordered in 2022 to replace ageing Tornados and continue Germany’s NATO nuclear-sharing role.
• Initial F-35 deliveries begin in 2026 with full capability targeted by the end of the decade, and the extra 15, if approved, are expected in the early 2030s as Berlin also invests in new Eurofighters and weighs the FCAS program.