Should European Nations cancel their F-35 orders? What would be a good replacement jet?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2025/03/06/calls-increase-on-social-media-for-europe-to-cancel-f-35-orders/

by Pit_Bull_Admin

38 comments

  1. That’s the problem. There ~~no~~ only one good replacement jet. Eurofighter passed up development of a 5th gen fighter in favor of beginning development of a 6th gen fighter.

    As much as we might not like it, ~~Europe is stuck with the F-35~~ Europes only other option is the Korean KF-21

  2. If there is a chanse to disable them,Yes.

    If not NO there are to many shareholders from europe in US stock market

  3. I read today that Gripen variants have GE engines where US can block the sale to any country.
    And just now, I read that Saab denies that.

    So everything with US tech is ultimately an issue.

  4. That’s the thing, there isn’t a replacement jet.

    The only other 5th gen jet is the F-22, which is also American (and is so good that the Americans won’t export it to anyone).

  5. the reason germany bought the F35 is to be able to deliver american nukes.

    i don’t know about the rest but if germany can switch the american nukes out for either french or our own then the F35 wold become unnecessary…

  6. Rafale, Typhoon and Grippen ?

    Bonus : Rafale is French nuke friendly

  7. F-35 is a bust as long as there’s a kill switch in Texas.

  9. Not one model

    A mix of fighters depending on the task to be performed

    Gripen – Interceptor, Cheap, Flexible
    Rafale/Eurofighter – Range, Nukes, Bomber

  10. Yes, get rid. Upgrade Eurofighter, buy Swedish, French.

  11. We should develop new type of weapons and shielding.

    And we should work very hard on alternative sources of energy production, we even should consider looking on those crazy theories and test them all.

  13. European defences need to be built up right now so I say take them so that we can defend against Russia.

  14. Yes and Gripen or Mirage. Finally Eurofighter for next gen capabilities when it’s development finishes. US is not Europe’s ally.

  15. F-35 fulfills a unique role for NATO. It’s a high altitude bomb-truck designed to make the NATO thing easier by allowing a multirole fighter to operate at high altitude much closer to high altitude air defenses like S-300/S-400.

    However:

    * US are proving that they’re willing to vote treasonous fascists into power. NATO needs a replacement that doesn’t give the US that much power over their allies.
    * F-35 has proven itself to be a maintenance hog with low availability and high costs per flight hours. Overall unsuited to being an air force workhorse as it can’t perform the volume of missions that an air force needs to do in peace and in war.

    The two current alternatives (until GCAP or FCAS produces something. If they produce something) would be Rafale or Gripen. These won’t be able to conduct a NATO style assault, but will be able to fend off a superior air power from operating over your own territory.

    Both are fully compatible with European missiles, offering a full suite of air-to-air and air-to-ground armaments, advanced electronics packages and the agility to operate at altitudes where they almost hug the ground if needed (for the type of guerilla warfare that Ukraine has been doing for the last 3 years).

    Of the two the Rafale has the advantage that it’s fully european, exists in a navy version (with the twin engine that most navies insist on) and it has better range.

    The Gripen has the disadvantage that it uses many US components (though most are license built in Europe) but the advantages of high availability, low cost per flight hour (much of it thanks to a minimal need for specialized mechanics. It’s more advanced components are essentially plug and play, allowing any mechanic to diagnose and replace a faulty component with a new one) and has the ability to land/rearm&refuel/take-off on a few hundred meters of sufficiently straight road (or an easter european style airbase. Something which the F-16 can’t). If you want to operate a competent and capable air force on a limited budget I don’t think there is a better fighter than the Gripen.

  20. i would cancel all Deals of equipment where the US has the possibility to have a saying in deployment, technical or otherwise

  22. I think we should stop buying F35s and invest that money into keeping the aircraft we have flying and also a European collaboration 6th generation stealth Aircraft and spin off drone versions.

    At this point because of Trump there is no point buying anything from the US as he has demonstrated he will cut you off when he feels like it. Just remember the US has large manufacturing capacity and that’s why they can sell equipment relatively cheap but that doesn’t necessarily translate in to quality. For too long European countries have relied on the easy option of buying US instead of investing in their own equipment. I can Guarantee at this moment the UK will be looking at what options they have to replace the trident missile system for their nuclear warheads.

  23. Short term: Rafale, Eurofighter, Gripen with another engine.
    Medium term: license the KF-21 from the Koreans and change American equipment with European ones. The orders should be enough to finish developing the internal weapons bay ahead of schedule and to have a fully functional 5th gen fighter by 2030.
    Long term: Tempest or whatever 6th gen project you can develop, especially if you partner with Asian countries who are also wondering if the F-35 will be useful for them.

  24. As a Brit, I’d love to have the rafale for our carriers. (Obviously, the carriers would have to be refitted)

    The Rafale is after all the better looking brother of the Typhoon. The French really made a good looking fighter jet there.

    We really should work together (UK, France, Germany, Italy and anyone else who wants in) on a new F35 competitor or start on next gen.

  25. When I was doing a little research on them it seems they use license built American engines, which America can and has used to block the aircrafts sale.

    They are however fully built and maintained in Europe. So although America can legally block their sale, in a national security situation they can’t do shit. So if Russia invaded Europe and America ordered Sweden to stop making or using them, they’d likely be told in the most diplomatic way possible where to stick their legalities.

  27. Yes. Eurofighter, Rafale, Grippen. Yes, they’re older and not as capable, that’s a fact. But also they can’t be turned off (or just denied parts/support) because of a tantrum in the White House. Work on the new European fighter jets ASAP.

  28. Depends, many countries like my own (Belgium) have already retrained their personnel and have already received their first batch of f35s, so it’s a little late to back out 

  29. Yes! Do you want the US to brick the F-35s when Europe needs them? Trusting anything from the USA is foolish. Nothing is beneath the republicans and I mean absolutely nothing. You should trust the mango Mussolini exactly the same as Vladimir Putin, no more and no less.

  30. The US has clearly shown it is unreliable, so using a system where you might have your spare parts and such cut off is crazy.

    In any event, we’ve learned that Putin’s army is mostly equipped with crap, so pretty much anything you can get in quantity is a better bet than F-35s.

  31. Yes cancel all US made jet orders. But considering the F-35s software can be “switched off” by Washington….. potentially they could be rendered useless by an unpredictable/precocious and presently unfriendly to NATO the UN EU and the accepted global rule of law USA. So really they never should have been considered by anyone but the USA in the first place. Buy and build Euro fighters French Raphael’s the Swedish Grippen if you still think fighter nets are the do all end all of areal warfare. Then build something better than the F-35 as the last time I looked it still had a very poor full mission capability percentage. And partial mission capability wasn’t any thing to brag about either. And 30k USD an hour to fly……for a hanger queen Build effective surface to air missile launchers from man portable to truck/track MLRS systems. Build electronic warfare capacity to counter enemy radars sensor’s and communications. And drones build lots and lots of drones of all types.

  32. Don’t give another red cent to the US military industrial complex. Buy European made equipment only.

  34. Considering the US government is becoming not an ally, nobody can afford to depend on US technology.

  35. I would say order stuff, with promise to pay later (like Trump does). Get stuff, then promise to pay later. Then not, and say you already paid. Deny any evidence that contradicts this. Double down, and maybe say you never got any F35s. Be pissed you never got them! Say you’re owed them, what with the money you already paid on them. But that being said, they’d like to order some (more) F35s, they’ll pay later (like Trump does).

  36. Yes, we should be independent from USA. They have shown how unreliable they are. It’s not even a question.

  37. Another issue with American jets is that all activity data of the pilot, the status of all sensors are sent to the us. I’m wondering if there are backdoors that may allow to remotely disable some functions.

    Alternatives may be the French ” Rafale “

  38. Yes. Cancel the F-35 order and focus on drone technology.

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