Spain has frozen its plans to purchase the US fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, El País newspaper reported, citing government sources. Instead, Madrid will direct most of its additional military budget for 2025 to purchases from European manufacturers, News.bg reports.
In the 2023 budget, the Spanish government had set aside 6.25 billion euros for the modernization of military aviation, including a possible deal with the US company Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35. Now, however, the course is changing. Within the framework of a new increase of 10.5 billion euros for defense, the priority is shifting to European armament programs, writes El País.
The decision comes in the context of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's efforts to achieve NATO's target of military spending of 2% of GDP without resorting to sharp increases. During the summit in June, he refused to accept the US request to increase spending to 5% of GDP, which provoked a sharp reaction from US President Donald Trump, who threatened new tariffs on Spanish goods.
So far, the Spanish Ministry of Defense and Lockheed Martin have not given an official comment on the case.
Madrid's decision is part of a wider trend among some European countries that are increasingly betting on joint continental projects such as FCAS (Future Combat Air System). A program being developed by France, Germany and Spain with the aim of replacing the current Eurofighter and Rafale fighters in the coming decades.