Spain has decided against purchasing US-made F-35 fighter jets and will instead opt for European-made options, the defence ministry said August 6, confirming a report in El Pais newspaper.
The decision comes after the tension between Madrid and Washington over Spain’s refusal to raise defence spending to 5.0 per cent of economic output, as demanded by US President Donald Trump.
El Pais reported earlier August 6, citing unnamed government sources, that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s leftist government had shelved plans to buy the F-35 jets and would explore European alternatives.
The government had earmarked €6.25 billion in its 2023 budget to buy new fighter jets. British defence publication Janes had reported that Spain was considering the purchase of up to 50 F-35 units, the newspaper said.
But the government’s plan to spend the bulk of the additional €10.5 billion in defence spending announced for this year rules out the purchase of the F-35 jets, it added.
The aircraft are made by the US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin.
NATO countries have agreed to vastly ramp up their defence spending to satisfy US President Donald Trump. https://t.co/1ra1003Yf4
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) June 26, 2025
A defence ministry statement said the Spanish option involved the European-made Eurofighter and fighter jets made by the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, whose primary industrial partners are Dassault Aviation and Airbus.
Sanchez announced earlier this year plans to increase spending on defence to this year meet the NATO target of 2.0 per cent of economic output set in 2024.
But he later refused to raise spending in the longer run to 5.0 per cent, prompting Trump to threaten Spain with additional tariffs.
Portugal’s defence minister Nuno Melo has cast doubt over whether his country would order US F-35 fighter jets to update its military capabilities, citing US President Donald Trump’s foreign policies. https://t.co/l7qBBf4Fxe
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) March 14, 2025
