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3w ago

Spain Shelves F-35 Purchase, Backs Eurofighter Upgrade and FCAS Build-Up

Spain is directing most of its expanded defence budget toward European-made jets after growing wary of U.S. policy under President Trump.

A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/File Photo
Italian Navy F-35B (Image credit: Author)
Image
An F35 Lockheed Martin flies at the Paris Air Show, Monday, June 16, 2025 in Le Bourget, north of Paris.

Overview

  • Spain’s defence ministry officially ruled out buying U.S.-made F-35 fighters and has finalized an order for 25 additional Eurofighter Typhoons under the Halcón II programme.
  • Madrid will allocate about 85% of its €10.5 billion defence boost to Eurofighter and the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS project in order to meet NATO’s 2% GDP target without acceding to a 5% demand.
  • The decision creates a fixed-wing gap for the Navy after the Harrier AV-8B fleet retires by 2030, as carrier modernisation plans won’t restore jet operations until the mid-2030s.
  • Spain remains committed to FCAS as its long-term backbone despite delays and industrial disputes among Airbus, Dassault and Indra over workshare and funding.
  • The move aligns with similar retrenchments by Canada and Portugal and highlights a growing European drive for defence sovereignty amid doubts over U.S. reliability.