US EditionSpain’s Aircraft Carrier Will Suffer with No F-35 Stealth Fighter
SPAIN, AUG 6 – Spain redirects €10.5 billion defense budget to European aircraft, aiming to reduce reliance on U.S. technology and support regional defense sovereignty, officials confirmed.
- On August 6, Spain's defense ministry confirmed the government decided against purchasing US-made F-35 jets and will opt for European alternatives.
- This decision followed Spain's refusal to raise defense spending to the 5% GDP target demanded by US President Donald Trump, causing tension between Madrid and Washington.
- Spain's 2023 budget allocated €6.25 billion for new fighter jets to replace aging Navy Harriers and Air Force Hornets, focusing on Eurofighter and the European FCAS program.
- Spain shelved the F-35 purchase despite its fifth-generation stealth capabilities, prompting concerns about a decade-long capability gap for the Navy after retiring AV-8B Harriers by 2030.
- The move boosts the European FCAS initiative but leaves Spain's carrier without compatible jets, risking logistical issues as no modern STOVL alternatives exist until FCAS’s expected 2040 delivery.
37 Articles
37 Articles
Spain’s Aircraft Carrier Will Suffer with No F-35 Stealth Fighter
PUBLISHED on August 6, 2025, 18:54 – Key Points and Summary – Spain has formally abandoned plans to acquire the American F-35 stealth fighter, opting instead to go “all-in” on the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) sixth-generation program. While the move provides a much-needed political and financial boost to the embattled European initiative, it creates a serious, decade-long capability gap for the Spanish Navy. With its fleet of AV-8B …
By renouncing Lockheed Martin's F-35, Spain is inflicting an industrial and strategic setback on Washington, but it is still too early to know if the Rafale will benefit from it.
The differences between the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the American fighter that Spain has ruled out to renew the fleets of the Air Army and the Navy, and the Eurofighter Typhoon go beyond the political disagreements between Spain and the United States. At least, at a technical and military level. The price, the needs of the Spanish Armed Forces or the use they will be given are key aspects that must be taken into account.In 2023 it was …
Spain dumps Trump's F-35 fighter jets for European models
Spain has decided against purchasing US-made F-35 fighter jets and will instead opt for European-made options, the defence ministry said Wednesday, amid calls by Donald Trump for the EU to make investments worth $600 billion in the US.
Spain decided to abandon the purchase of F-35 fighter aircraft manufactured in the United States and will opt for European-made aircraft, the Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday, confirming information published in the newspaper El País.
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