Germany is once again looking across the Atlantic as it reviews the future shape of its combat air fleet. With doubts lingering over its participation in Europe’s signature next-generation fighter effort, Berlin is evaluating whether to buy additional American-made F-35 fighter jets, according to multiple sources familiar with the ongoing defence discussions. The deliberations remain active and unresolved, but the fact that they are happening at all signals a widening gap between European ambition and present-day procurement reality.
One source indicated that Germany could pursue more than 35 additional aircraft on top of what it has already committed to, though officials have stressed that any outcome would still require political approval and a broader strategic assessment. The talks, as described by those close to them, are less a single procurement decision than a set of overlapping questions about capability, timing, and the risks of waiting for an uncertain European programme to mature.
That uncertainty stands in contrast to a decision Germany made in 2022, when it ordered 35 F-35s with deliveries scheduled to begin later this year. That purchase represented a clear move toward advanced stealth aircraft and toward a platform compatible with NATO’s nuclear sharing responsibilities. In practical terms, it positioned Germany to modernize a critical mission set on a known timeline rather than on one tied to unresolved multinational negotiations.
FCAS Friction Pushes Berlin Toward Contingency Options
The renewed focus on additional F-35s arrives as the €100 billion Future Combat Air System programme continues to stall. Disagreements among industrial partners have persisted, particularly over who leads which elements of the project and how technological control is managed across the development phases. As the friction drags on, the promise of a joint sixth-generation fighter has become harder to translate into a schedule that defence planners can rely on.
Insiders now expect that the manned fighter component of the initiative could be dropped, even if other pieces of the partnership move forward. In that scenario, cooperation would likely continue in areas such as drones and the digital combat cloud intended to connect crewed and uncrewed systems in future operations. The implication is that Europe’s next air combat architecture might still be built collaboratively, but not necessarily around the flagship aircraft that originally defined FCAS in the public imagination.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has added a political edge to that debate by openly questioning whether the investment case for a manned sixth-generation fighter will still hold in the decades ahead. “Will we still need a manned fighter jet in 20 years’ time? Do we still need it, given that we will have to develop it at great expense?” he asked. The remark did not settle the issue, but it underscored how strategic uncertainty and cost pressure are shaping the conversation just as much as industrial rivalry.
A Bigger F-35 Fleet Would Reshape Europe’s Balance With NATO
If Germany expands its F-35 fleet, the decision would carry consequences beyond aircraft numbers. A larger buy would deepen Germany’s military integration with the United States while narrowing the space for a purely European approach to defence autonomy. That tradeoff sits at the heart of a long-running policy tension inside the European Union, where France has strongly favored strategies that keep Europe less dependent on U.S. systems and supply chains.
Operationally, the aircraft is tied to a mission Germany cannot postpone. The F-35 is set to replace aging Tornado jets in the nuclear delivery role, and it remains the only Western fighter certified to carry modern B61 nuclear bombs stationed in Germany under NATO arrangements. That certification, and the need to keep the nuclear sharing commitment credible, has made the F-35 less a discretionary purchase than a time-bound capability requirement.
How quickly Germany clarifies its direction may depend on what happens next with FCAS. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has suggested that firmer answers on the programme’s future could come within days, a timeline that hints at decisions approaching political daylight after months of uncertainty. Whether that clarity leads to a repaired European pathway or to a stronger pivot toward U.S. hardware, it would still reshape Europe’s long-term air combat plans and the industrial partnerships meant to sustain them.
