LM continues to push F-35 to Germany

Martyn William's Aircraft @flickr

LM continues to push F-35 to Germany | Jane's 360

Lockheed Martin continues to promote its Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) to Germany, despite the country's government excluding the aircraft from the list of options for its Tornado replacement programme earlier in the year.

Speaking at the Berlin Security Conference (BSC) on 26 November, the company's Country Director for Germany International Business Development, Alexander Walford, said that the move to exclude the F-35A in January was "a political decision", and that Lockheed Martin continues to highlight the capabilities of its aircraft with a view to the Luftwaffe adopting it as a Tornado replacement platform.

"[The German government] hasn't said specifically what the reason was for the F-35's exclusion, [but] it was political. We respect their decision, but we still believe in the interoperability and survivability advantages that the F-35 brings," Walford said.

In excluding the F-35A as one of the potential replacement platforms for its fleet of Panavia Tornado aircraft, the Bundeswehr is now only looking at the Eurofighter Typhoon and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (the Super Hornet is being offered in conjunction with the EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft).

With the Luftwaffe looking to retire its 90 Tornado Interdiction and Strike (IDS)/Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR) aircraft with 85 new platforms from 2030, and needing the replacement to enter service in about 2025, a request for proposals (RFP) for an aircraft to perform 10 current Tornado missions and two additional but undisclosed missions was issued in early 2018.

Germany's Snub Of Lockheed’s F-35 Unleashes Dramatic Geopolitical Consequences

Germany eliminates F-35 from Tornado-replacement race
CEO of Airbus Defense urged Europe to keep its military independence and advised Germany not to procure F-35s

Franco-German sixth-generation combat aircraft project to commence

Luftwaffe chief dismissed over F-35 support

Nuclear burden-sharing dictates that Germany acquire the F-35

German Air Force chief told to stop talking about the F-35 or risk being fired

Franco-German fighter jet project likely to be opened to other countries

Airbus urges European fighter to counter US dominance

German MoD says Luftwaffe should get more Eurofighters, not F-35s

F-35 Lightning II: Details