Spain has decided not to proceed with the purchase of US-made F-35 fighter jets, opting instead for European-made alternatives, the defense ministry confirmed Wednesday. This decision aligns with reports previously published by El Pais newspaper.
The move comes amid ongoing tensions between Madrid and Washington, primarily over Spain’s refusal to increase defense spending to 5.0 percent of its GDP, as demanded by former US President Donald Trump. Earlier on Wednesday, El Pais cited unnamed government sources indicating that Spain’s leftist government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, had shelved its plans to buy the F-35 and would explore European options instead.
Spain had initially allocated 6.25 billion euros (approximately 7.25 billion USD) in its 2023 budget for new fighter jets. The British defense publication Janes had reported that Spain was considering purchasing up to 50 F-35 jets. However, the government’s recent plans to allocate a significant portion of an additional 10.5 billion euros in defense spending for 2023 effectively ruled out the F-35 purchase.
The F-35 aircraft are produced by Lockheed Martin, a major US aerospace corporation. Instead, Spain’s defense strategy now involves acquiring European-made aircraft such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and jets developed under the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, which primarily involves Dassault Aviation and Airbus.
Earlier this year, Sanchez announced plans to boost defense spending to meet NATO’s target of 2.0 percent of GDP by 2024. However, he later declined to commit to raising spending to 5.0 percent in the long term, leading Trump to threaten Spain with additional tariffs.
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