Spain has decided to replace its ageing fighter jets with European aircraft instead of buying US-made F-35s, in a move that reflects worsening defence ties with Washington. The Spanish defence ministry told the Financial Times that it plans to rely on the existing Eurofighter and the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a joint European programme involving France, Germany, and Spain. \u201cThe Spanish option consists of the current Eurofighter and the FCAS in the future,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s demands on spending add to the tensions<\/strong><\/p>\n The shift comes months after Donald Trump criticised Spain for refusing to raise its military spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, a demand he made to NATO allies. The US president had called Spain\u2019s stance \u201cterrible\u201d, adding pressure on an already strained relationship. Spain\u2019s decision now sets it apart from other NATO countries, many of which rely heavily on American arms.<\/p>\n Critics in Spain demand answers<\/strong><\/p>\n The opposition People\u2019s Party has asked Spain\u2019s defence minister, Margarita Robles, to appear before Congress and explain the decision. \u201cWe are witnessing yet another example of the S\u00e1nchez government\u2019s core doctrine, which prioritises sectarianism and confrontation with the United States over the general interest and even the country\u2019s security,\u201d said senior PP lawmaker Cuca Gamarra. The news was first reported by El Pa\u00eds.<\/p>\n Why Spain passed on the F-35<\/strong><\/p>\n The F-35, developed by Lockheed Martin, is the world\u2019s most advanced long-range stealth jet and serves as the mainstay of several Western air forces. It\u2019s used by the US and 19 allied countries, including non-NATO members like Japan. Spain was previously rumoured to be considering the F-35 for its future fleet, as it prepares to retire AV-8B Harriers and F-18s in the 2030s. However, the government recently opted to buy 25 additional Eurofighters, expanding its current fleet to 115. These jets, though advanced, are classified as 4.5th generation and lack the full capabilities of the F-35.<\/p>\n The Eurofighters are built by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo, and are assembled at a plant near Madrid. Deliveries are expected between 2026 and 2030.<\/p>\n What is FCAS and why is it a gamble?<\/strong><\/p>\n Spain is also part of the FCAS programme, which aims to deliver a next-generation combat system by 2040. This project includes a more powerful jet, drone integration, and cutting-edge software. But the programme has been slowed by disputes among its main partners, Airbus, Dassault Aviation, and Indra, raising concernsaboutdelays.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spain has decided to replace its ageing fighter jets with European aircraft instead of buying US-made F-35s, in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326597,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5312],"tags":[2106,2000,299,117660,104],"class_list":{"0":"post-326596","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-spain","8":"tag-brazil","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-f35","12":"tag-spain"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114990463652817638","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326596\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}