Luftwaffe: F-35 – dieses Flugzeug spaltet die deutsche Rüstungsindustrie
Die deutsche Luftwaffe bekommt ihren ersten Tarnkappenjet aus den USA – weitere könnten folgen. Das hätte erhebliche Auswirkungen auf die deutsche Industrie.
The gray-painted F-35 fighter jet accelerates, takes off and rises gently into the sky - not as steeply as seen in other F-35 videos. This aircraft also flies for the first time: the Iron Cross on its fuselage, alongside the German defense forces' emblem and the designation 35+01, marks the first F-35 produced for Germany. With the first F-35 built for Germany, the Luftwaffe is opening a new chapter.
Germany has ordered 35 of the Lockheed Martin-built stealth jets. On Friday, the US manufacturer plans to officially hand over the aircraft to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) at the Fort Worth facility in Texas. It is likely that Germany will not be the last to place orders. The Luftwaffe is aggressively courting Pistorius for the acquisition of additional jets, according to Handelsblatt and "Background Sicherheit & Verteidigung."
The move aims to replace part of the aging Tornado fleet, which will be decommissioned by 2030 due to age. A larger distribution and increased dependency represent a directional decision for the Bundeswehr and the German defense industry. The F-35s ordered in 2022 were initially intended to secure Germany's so-called atomic participation.
They are designed to carry US atomic bombs stored in Germany in case of emergency, a role currently assigned to the Tornados. The Büchel air base in the Eifel region is currently being revamped for the deployment of the F-35 starting next year.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
