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原创 不买F35就用核弹威胁，美国发出最后通牒，德国怒斥卑鄙行径
2019-05-03 14:16 军费 /战斗机 /德国
洛克希德公司的F-35战斗机生产线
近日，据外国媒体报道，负责欧洲区域销售的洛克希德总裁乔纳森·霍伊尔严厉指责了拒绝购买F-35系列战斗机的德国政府。要知道这已经不是乔纳森·霍伊尔对德国政府的第一次指责了。而德国政府作为美国在欧洲“北约”框架内的盟友，其每年的军费达到了400亿美元，这在纷纷削减军费的欧洲国家中是一个非常高的数字了。因此美国一直想要拉拢拥有如此多军费的德国采购他们的F-35战斗机，并称如果德国不采购F-35战斗机的话，等到德国现役的“狂风”战斗机退役，德国将失去使用核弹进行反击的呢能力。
德国政府大楼
众所周知，由于苏联的解体、自由主义在欧洲的盛行以及经济的不景气。从上世纪末开始，欧洲各国纷纷开始削减政府开支，而军费作为政府开支里面的大头，欧洲各国纷纷削减了自己的军费。德国虽然也削减的军费，但是依旧保持着400亿美元的规模。乔纳森·霍伊尔作为洛克希德在欧洲区域的销售总裁，如果能说服德国这个大客户购买F-35战斗机，将会为洛克希德公司和美国政府创造巨额的收入。
F-35战斗机
其次，F-35战斗机作为上个世界莫全球范围内最后一个重大战斗机研发采购项目，美国以及其盟友在研发F-35战斗机的过程中因为设计的不断调整，已经投入了大量的资金和资源。一般来说，如果能够使设计出来的战机大卖的话，大量的订单将会分摊战机的研发成本并降低战机的采购成本，从而使得设计厂商快速回本。这也是洛克希德公司向德国推销F-35战斗机的目的之一。
德国空军老旧的“狂风”战斗机
鲜为人知的是，在上世纪美国就与德国签署了《核共享协议》，这对没有能力研发核弹的德国来说无异于雪中送炭。因为在苏联解体以前，德国都在邻居前苏联的核弹威胁下夜不能寐。《核共享协议》的签署，使得德国能够在“北约”框架下作为美国的盟友使用美国所提供的核弹。根据协议，将由“狂风”战斗机负责携带美国提供的核弹头，执行战略核打击任务，德国西部小城比歇尔是这些核弹头集中贮存的地区。
美国提供给德国的核弹
“狂风”战斗机作为一款由德国、英国以及意大利联合研制，并在1974年就首飞的战斗机，到2019年已经有了45年的历史了。这对战斗机来说，也就意味着机体寿命接近极限，确确实实需要寻找新的战机来取代这些老旧战斗机了。而F-35系列战斗机，在美国研发之初就考虑过携带核武器进行核打击的任务。因此具备隐身功能的F-35战斗机无疑就是德国老旧的“狂风”战斗机的最好替代者，毕竟无论德国政府采取何种手段给“狂风”战斗机延寿，“狂风”战斗机也服役不了几年了。
德国总理默克尔
一旦德国的“狂风”战斗机全部退役，德国将失去使用美国提供的核弹进行核打击的能力，这对德国政府来说是不可以接受的。美国以核弹使用权来换取德国政府采购F-35战斗机，对德国政府来说比较卑鄙，这也就使得德国政府很有可能为了保持核打击能力而同意采购F-35战斗机。
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Original, do not buy F35, use nuclear bomb threat, the United States issued an ultimatum, Germany angered mean behavior
2019-05-03 14:16 Military fees / fighters / Germany
Lockheed F-35 fighter production line
Recently, according to foreign media reports, Lockheed President Jonathan Hoyle, who is responsible for sales in Europe, severely accused the German government of refusing to purchase the F-35 series fighters. You know that this is not the first time that Jonathan Hoyle has accused the German government. The German government, as an ally of the United States in the "NATO" framework of Europe, has an annual military expenditure of 40 billion US dollars, which is a very high number in the European countries that have cut military spending. Therefore, the United States has always wanted to win over the F-35 fighters with so many military expenses in Germany, and said that if Germany does not purchase F-35 fighters, Germany will lose its use of nuclear bombs to fight back if the German "Gale" fighters are retired. Ability.
German government building
As we all know, due to the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the prevalence of liberalism in Europe and the economic downturn. Since the end of the last century, European countries have begun to cut government spending, and military spending as a big part of government spending, European countries have cut their military spending. Although Germany has also cut military spending, it still maintains a size of 40 billion US dollars. Jonathan Hoyle, the president of Lockheed's sales in Europe, will be able to convince the big German customer to buy the F-35 fighter jet, which will generate huge revenues for Lockheed and the US government.
F-35 fighter
Secondly, the F-35 fighter jet is the last major fighter development and procurement project in the world. The United States and its allies have invested a lot of money and resources in the process of developing the F-35 fighter because of the continuous adjustment of the design. Generally speaking, if the designed fighters can be sold, a large number of orders will share the research and development costs of the fighters and reduce the procurement cost of the fighters, thus enabling the designers to quickly return to the original. This is also one of the purposes of Lockheed to sell the F-35 fighter to Germany.
German Air Force's old "Gale" fighter
What is less well known is that in the last century, the United States signed the Nuclear Sharing Agreement with Germany, which is tantamount to sending money to Germany, which is incapable of developing nuclear bombs. Because before the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Germany was unable to smash at night under the threat of a nuclear bomb from the neighboring Soviet Union. The signing of the Nuclear Sharing Agreement enabled Germany to use the nuclear bombs provided by the United States as an ally of the United States under the "NATO" framework. According to the agreement, the "Gale" fighter will be responsible for carrying the nuclear warheads provided by the United States and carrying out the strategic nuclear strike mission. The small town of West Germany, Bichel, is the area where these nuclear warheads are concentrated.
Nuclear bombs supplied by the United States to Germany
The "Gale" fighter was developed as a fighter jet jointly developed by Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy and first flew in 1974. It has been 45 years since 2019. For the fighters, it means that the life of the aircraft is close to the limit. It is indeed necessary to find new fighters to replace these old fighters. The F-35 series fighters have considered the task of carrying nuclear weapons for nuclear strikes at the beginning of the United States. Therefore, the F-35 fighter with stealth function is undoubtedly the best substitute for Germany's old "Gale" fighter. After all, no matter what means the German government takes to extend the life of the "Gale" fighter, the "Gale" fighter can not serve for several years. .
German Chancellor Merkel
Once the German "Gale" fighters are fully retired, Germany will lose the ability to use the nuclear bombs provided by the United States for nuclear strikes, which is unacceptable to the German government. The US’s use of nuclear bombs in exchange for the German government’s purchase of F-35 fighters is relatively low for the German government, which makes it very likely that the German government will agree to purchase F-35 fighters in order to maintain its nuclear strike capability.
Author: mountains may depart return Sohu, More
https://www.defensenews.com/global/...s-f-35-out-of-competition-to-replace-tornado/
Germany officially knocks F-35 out of competition to replace Tornado
By: Sebastian Sprenger January 31
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/A64CR2BBPFBR3AGXSSQZ5DXIEA.JPG)
Three U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning IIs, assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, conduct flight training operations over the Utah Test and Training Range on Feb 14, 2018. The F-35A is a single-seat, single engine, fifth generation, multirole fighter that’s able to perform ground attack, reconnaissance and air defense missions with stealth capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)
COLOGNE, Germany ― Germany’s Ministry of Defence has officially ruled out the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as a choice to replace its aging Tornado fleet, Defense News has learned.
An official from the ministry confirmed that the F-35 is not a finalist in the competition, which seeks a replacement for the 90-jet fleet. The news was first reported by German site AugenGeradeaus.
The move is not altogether surprising. Berlin for some time has officially favored an upgraded version of the fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon — built by a consortium of Airbus, Leonardo and BAE Systems — as the Tornado replacement. The main argument is to keep European companies involved in building combat aircraft and, perhaps even more importantly, staying clear of disturbing Franco-German momentum in armaments cooperation.
However, the decision leaves open the question of certification for nuclear weapons. The Typhoon is not certified to carry the American-made nuclear bombs that Germany, as part of its strategic posture, is supposed to be able to carry on its jets.
Competing against the Typhoon is Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Before the German MoD confirmed that the F-35 was officially out of the running, Reuters on Thursday reported that the ministry was considering splitting the buy between the Typhoon and either the F-35 or Super Hornet.
Ordering both the Typhoon and an American aircraft would make it easier to continue carrying out the NATO nuclear mission, while also lending support to the European industrial base. However, it could complicate logistics, adding more expense and forcing the German Air Force to maintain two supply chains.
It’s worth noting that despite complaints about the cost of keeping the aging Tornados flying, keeping around a certain number of them has always been under consideration — a painful, but not impossible, proposition among some defense experts. That is especially the case for the nuclear mission.
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“There does not have to be a nuclear Tornado replacement,” Karl-Heinz Kamp, president of the government think tank Federal Academy for Security Policy, told Defense News in August. He noted that any German government is acutely averse to the publicity surrounding Berlin’s would-be atomic bombers.
“That’s why they will keep flying the Tornados, despite the price tag and despite having asked about a Eurofighter nuclear certification in Washington,” Kamp predicted at the time.
German defense officials on Thursday evening stressed that no decisions had been made besides reducing the playing field to the FA-18 and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The MoD will request additional information from the respective manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, on the issues of operations, economic viability and timing, these officials said.
Germany’s decision appears to have been a surprise for F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which was not told by the ministry of the imminent announcement.
“We have not been officially notified of a decision on Germany’s future fighter,” Lockheed spokesman Mike Friedman said in an emailed response to a query. “The F-35 delivers unmatched value as the most capable and lowest life-cycle cost aircraft, while delivering the strongest long-term industrial and economic opportunities compared to any fighter on the market. As the foundation of NATO’s next generation of air power, the F-35 is the most advanced aircraft in the world today, and includes Electronic Attack capabilities well beyond any specialized fourth generation aircraft.”
Valerie Insinna in Washington contributed to this report.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019...ts-germanys-retrograde-step-refusing-f-35-jet
Lockheed Exec Blasts Germany's "Retrograde Step" Of Refusing F-35 Jet
by Tyler Durden
Thu, 05/02/2019 - 04:15
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American defense contractor giant Lockheed Martin has blasted Germany over its refusal to buy its F-35 stealth fighters, in the latest row over the future of NATO defense readiness.
In early February it was confirmed that Germany snubbed Lockheed's cutting edge and expensive joint strike fighter, knocking the American stealth fighter of out of a tender worth billions of euros, as Germany's military considers how to replace its aging Tornado warplanes, for which Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet and Airbus' NATO Eurofighter Typhoon remain prime alternate contenders.
Image source: Reuters
Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Europe, Jonathan Hoyle, told FT that knocking the F-35 out of contention will only hold Germany back in terms of ability to keep pace with NATO readiness.
Hoyle described a resulting situation in Europe where “Germany’s position going forward” has been questioned, citing personal conversations with diplomats. These conversations revealed deep “disappointment” with the further criticism that “Germany, which has the biggest defense budget, has just taken this retrograde step and isn’t going to be there”.
“So when we go off and collaborate together operationally, if you are flying stealth, fifth-generation jets, you don’t want a fourth-generation jet in the middle of your operations because everyone can see that”, he told FT. The Lockheed executive still touted Europe as a "key area of growth," however, especially Poland, which has recently vowed to increase its defense spending.
Multiple reports since the German Defense Ministry's decision earlier this year have described it as a major setback for Lockheed:
This presents a number of potential fault lines that could crack open wide the US-German relationship, and with implications for broader NATO defense, especially related to German Air Force ability to carry American nuclear warheads.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...th-jet-fighter-angela-merkel-defence-spending
Germany BACKLASH: Fury brewing at Merkel’s fighter jet upgrade plan - ‘What about NATO?’
GERMANY has come under fire for its decision to drop the F-35 stealth fighter as part of the upgrade of its airforce.
By Simon Osborne
PUBLISHED: 00:07, Wed, May 1, 2019 | UPDATED: 13:52, Wed, May 1, 2019
Lockheed Martin, which makes the warplane, described the move as a “retrograde step” and warned the country’s ability to operate at the same level of as its NATO allies would be compromised. Germany will pick either the Eurofighter or Boeing’s F/A-18 fighter jet to replace its ageing fleet of Tornado warplanes. Defence ministers will make a final decision after receiving detailed information from Boeing and Airbus about the aircraft, which must be able to carry US nuclear weapons to fulfil Germany’s obligations to NATO.
Related articles
Its European vice-president Jonathan Hoyle said Berlin’s failure to opt for the F-35 had raised concerns among allies and prompted the question: “What does it mean for NATO?”
Mr Hoyle said a number of ambassadors had expressed their disappointment at the German decision.
He told the FT: “While many of their countries are investing in fifth-generation fighter jet technology by opting for the F-35, Germany, which has the biggest defence budget, has just taken this retrograde step and isn’t going to be there.
Germany has decided not to buy F35 stealth fighter jets (Image: GETTY)
Germany is replacing its ageing fleet of Tornadoes (Image: GETTY)
“So when we go off and collaborate together operationally, if you are flying stealth, fifth-generation jets, you don’t want a fourth-generation jet in the middle of your operations because everyone can see that.”
Germany’s air force chief of staff was fired last year after he expressed a clear preference for the F-35. The ministry later said it favoured a “European solution”.
Airbus welcomed the news about the Eurofighter replacement purchases, and said it remained convinced that its jet offered the lowest-risk prospect for replacing the Tornado jets.
Paris, Germany’s closest European partner, had warned that buying the F-35 in particular could derail plans to develop a new Franco-German fighter by 2040.
Germany’s defence commitment has come under regular attack from Donald Trump who has criticised Angela Merkel’s government for failing to spend enough money on defence.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/articl...-germany-over-their-refusal-to-buy-f-35-jets/
US defense giant blasts Germany over their refusal to buy F-35 jets
By
News Desk
-
2019-04-30
7
Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Europe, Jonathan Hoyle, predicted in his interview with The Financial Times that Germany’s decision to waive the F-35 stealth fighter jet as a possible replacement for its ageing Tornados could hamper its ability to operate at the same level as NATO.
He revealed that the choice to consider buying either Airbus-made Eurofighters or F-18s from another US-based corporation, Boeing, had caught a lot of governments “on the hop”. According to the top-manager, the move puzzled other European governments when it came to “Germany’s position going forward” as well as what it means for NATO. He cited several ambassadors who had voiced “disappointment” and noted that “Germany, which has the biggest defence budget, has just taken this retrograde step and isn’t going to be there”.
“So when we go off and collaborate together operationally, if you are flying stealth, fifth-generation jets, you don’t want a fourth-generation jet in the middle of your operations because everyone can see that”, he claimed, pointing out that other allies had invested in Lockheed Martin’s latest technology, opting for the F-35.
Despite the setback in Germany, Lockheed Martin’s vice president referred to Europe as a key area of growth; notably, Poland has vowed to spend two percent of its GDP on defence and is expected to develop into a regional hub for the company.
Earlier this year, numerous reports, citing officials from the country’s Defence Ministry, said that the German Armed Forces, Bundeswehr, had decided against buying Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth combat aircraft, which is capable of performing both ground attacks and air missions. Berlin is expected to choose between US-based Boeing’s F/A-18 jets or Eurofighters produced by European giant Airbus, as Germany pursues its plan to replace its ageing Tornados, which entered service with the German Air Force in 1983.
ALSO READ F-35 can't do this: Russia's Su-57 stealth fighter has new weapon
The country’s government wants to adhere to NATO’s nuclear weapon obligations despite plans to replace the Tornado jets, which currently fulfil this function, earlier reports suggested. The air force has stationed about 45 Tornado aircraft, designed to carry American nuclear bombs in the event of a crisis, at a key air base in Büchel, while the country’s other aircraft are incapable of fulfilling such tasks.
Over the past two years, the European powerhouse has come under fire from US President Donald Trump, as it still does not meet NATO’s defence spending target. Although Germany is raising their military expenditures, it remains far behind the two percent target level set in an agreement between member states in 2014.
Source: Sputnik
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原创 不买F35就用核弹威胁，美国发出最后通牒，德国怒斥卑鄙行径
2019-05-03 14:16 军费 /战斗机 /德国
洛克希德公司的F-35战斗机生产线
近日，据外国媒体报道，负责欧洲区域销售的洛克希德总裁乔纳森·霍伊尔严厉指责了拒绝购买F-35系列战斗机的德国政府。要知道这已经不是乔纳森·霍伊尔对德国政府的第一次指责了。而德国政府作为美国在欧洲“北约”框架内的盟友，其每年的军费达到了400亿美元，这在纷纷削减军费的欧洲国家中是一个非常高的数字了。因此美国一直想要拉拢拥有如此多军费的德国采购他们的F-35战斗机，并称如果德国不采购F-35战斗机的话，等到德国现役的“狂风”战斗机退役，德国将失去使用核弹进行反击的呢能力。
德国政府大楼
众所周知，由于苏联的解体、自由主义在欧洲的盛行以及经济的不景气。从上世纪末开始，欧洲各国纷纷开始削减政府开支，而军费作为政府开支里面的大头，欧洲各国纷纷削减了自己的军费。德国虽然也削减的军费，但是依旧保持着400亿美元的规模。乔纳森·霍伊尔作为洛克希德在欧洲区域的销售总裁，如果能说服德国这个大客户购买F-35战斗机，将会为洛克希德公司和美国政府创造巨额的收入。
F-35战斗机
其次，F-35战斗机作为上个世界莫全球范围内最后一个重大战斗机研发采购项目，美国以及其盟友在研发F-35战斗机的过程中因为设计的不断调整，已经投入了大量的资金和资源。一般来说，如果能够使设计出来的战机大卖的话，大量的订单将会分摊战机的研发成本并降低战机的采购成本，从而使得设计厂商快速回本。这也是洛克希德公司向德国推销F-35战斗机的目的之一。
德国空军老旧的“狂风”战斗机
鲜为人知的是，在上世纪美国就与德国签署了《核共享协议》，这对没有能力研发核弹的德国来说无异于雪中送炭。因为在苏联解体以前，德国都在邻居前苏联的核弹威胁下夜不能寐。《核共享协议》的签署，使得德国能够在“北约”框架下作为美国的盟友使用美国所提供的核弹。根据协议，将由“狂风”战斗机负责携带美国提供的核弹头，执行战略核打击任务，德国西部小城比歇尔是这些核弹头集中贮存的地区。
美国提供给德国的核弹
“狂风”战斗机作为一款由德国、英国以及意大利联合研制，并在1974年就首飞的战斗机，到2019年已经有了45年的历史了。这对战斗机来说，也就意味着机体寿命接近极限，确确实实需要寻找新的战机来取代这些老旧战斗机了。而F-35系列战斗机，在美国研发之初就考虑过携带核武器进行核打击的任务。因此具备隐身功能的F-35战斗机无疑就是德国老旧的“狂风”战斗机的最好替代者，毕竟无论德国政府采取何种手段给“狂风”战斗机延寿，“狂风”战斗机也服役不了几年了。
德国总理默克尔
一旦德国的“狂风”战斗机全部退役，德国将失去使用美国提供的核弹进行核打击的能力，这对德国政府来说是不可以接受的。美国以核弹使用权来换取德国政府采购F-35战斗机，对德国政府来说比较卑鄙，这也就使得德国政府很有可能为了保持核打击能力而同意采购F-35战斗机。
作者：山河故人返回搜狐，查看更多
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Original, do not buy F35, use nuclear bomb threat, the United States issued an ultimatum, Germany angered mean behavior
2019-05-03 14:16 Military fees / fighters / Germany
Lockheed F-35 fighter production line
Recently, according to foreign media reports, Lockheed President Jonathan Hoyle, who is responsible for sales in Europe, severely accused the German government of refusing to purchase the F-35 series fighters. You know that this is not the first time that Jonathan Hoyle has accused the German government. The German government, as an ally of the United States in the "NATO" framework of Europe, has an annual military expenditure of 40 billion US dollars, which is a very high number in the European countries that have cut military spending. Therefore, the United States has always wanted to win over the F-35 fighters with so many military expenses in Germany, and said that if Germany does not purchase F-35 fighters, Germany will lose its use of nuclear bombs to fight back if the German "Gale" fighters are retired. Ability.
German government building
As we all know, due to the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the prevalence of liberalism in Europe and the economic downturn. Since the end of the last century, European countries have begun to cut government spending, and military spending as a big part of government spending, European countries have cut their military spending. Although Germany has also cut military spending, it still maintains a size of 40 billion US dollars. Jonathan Hoyle, the president of Lockheed's sales in Europe, will be able to convince the big German customer to buy the F-35 fighter jet, which will generate huge revenues for Lockheed and the US government.
F-35 fighter
Secondly, the F-35 fighter jet is the last major fighter development and procurement project in the world. The United States and its allies have invested a lot of money and resources in the process of developing the F-35 fighter because of the continuous adjustment of the design. Generally speaking, if the designed fighters can be sold, a large number of orders will share the research and development costs of the fighters and reduce the procurement cost of the fighters, thus enabling the designers to quickly return to the original. This is also one of the purposes of Lockheed to sell the F-35 fighter to Germany.
German Air Force's old "Gale" fighter
What is less well known is that in the last century, the United States signed the Nuclear Sharing Agreement with Germany, which is tantamount to sending money to Germany, which is incapable of developing nuclear bombs. Because before the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Germany was unable to smash at night under the threat of a nuclear bomb from the neighboring Soviet Union. The signing of the Nuclear Sharing Agreement enabled Germany to use the nuclear bombs provided by the United States as an ally of the United States under the "NATO" framework. According to the agreement, the "Gale" fighter will be responsible for carrying the nuclear warheads provided by the United States and carrying out the strategic nuclear strike mission. The small town of West Germany, Bichel, is the area where these nuclear warheads are concentrated.
Nuclear bombs supplied by the United States to Germany
The "Gale" fighter was developed as a fighter jet jointly developed by Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy and first flew in 1974. It has been 45 years since 2019. For the fighters, it means that the life of the aircraft is close to the limit. It is indeed necessary to find new fighters to replace these old fighters. The F-35 series fighters have considered the task of carrying nuclear weapons for nuclear strikes at the beginning of the United States. Therefore, the F-35 fighter with stealth function is undoubtedly the best substitute for Germany's old "Gale" fighter. After all, no matter what means the German government takes to extend the life of the "Gale" fighter, the "Gale" fighter can not serve for several years. .
German Chancellor Merkel
Once the German "Gale" fighters are fully retired, Germany will lose the ability to use the nuclear bombs provided by the United States for nuclear strikes, which is unacceptable to the German government. The US’s use of nuclear bombs in exchange for the German government’s purchase of F-35 fighters is relatively low for the German government, which makes it very likely that the German government will agree to purchase F-35 fighters in order to maintain its nuclear strike capability.
Author: mountains may depart return Sohu, More
https://www.defensenews.com/global/...s-f-35-out-of-competition-to-replace-tornado/
Germany officially knocks F-35 out of competition to replace Tornado
By: Sebastian Sprenger January 31
COLOGNE, Germany ― Germany’s Ministry of Defence has officially ruled out the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as a choice to replace its aging Tornado fleet, Defense News has learned.
An official from the ministry confirmed that the F-35 is not a finalist in the competition, which seeks a replacement for the 90-jet fleet. The news was first reported by German site AugenGeradeaus.
The move is not altogether surprising. Berlin for some time has officially favored an upgraded version of the fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon — built by a consortium of Airbus, Leonardo and BAE Systems — as the Tornado replacement. The main argument is to keep European companies involved in building combat aircraft and, perhaps even more importantly, staying clear of disturbing Franco-German momentum in armaments cooperation.
However, the decision leaves open the question of certification for nuclear weapons. The Typhoon is not certified to carry the American-made nuclear bombs that Germany, as part of its strategic posture, is supposed to be able to carry on its jets.
Competing against the Typhoon is Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Before the German MoD confirmed that the F-35 was officially out of the running, Reuters on Thursday reported that the ministry was considering splitting the buy between the Typhoon and either the F-35 or Super Hornet.
Ordering both the Typhoon and an American aircraft would make it easier to continue carrying out the NATO nuclear mission, while also lending support to the European industrial base. However, it could complicate logistics, adding more expense and forcing the German Air Force to maintain two supply chains.
It’s worth noting that despite complaints about the cost of keeping the aging Tornados flying, keeping around a certain number of them has always been under consideration — a painful, but not impossible, proposition among some defense experts. That is especially the case for the nuclear mission.
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“There does not have to be a nuclear Tornado replacement,” Karl-Heinz Kamp, president of the government think tank Federal Academy for Security Policy, told Defense News in August. He noted that any German government is acutely averse to the publicity surrounding Berlin’s would-be atomic bombers.
“That’s why they will keep flying the Tornados, despite the price tag and despite having asked about a Eurofighter nuclear certification in Washington,” Kamp predicted at the time.
German defense officials on Thursday evening stressed that no decisions had been made besides reducing the playing field to the FA-18 and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The MoD will request additional information from the respective manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, on the issues of operations, economic viability and timing, these officials said.
Germany’s decision appears to have been a surprise for F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which was not told by the ministry of the imminent announcement.
“We have not been officially notified of a decision on Germany’s future fighter,” Lockheed spokesman Mike Friedman said in an emailed response to a query. “The F-35 delivers unmatched value as the most capable and lowest life-cycle cost aircraft, while delivering the strongest long-term industrial and economic opportunities compared to any fighter on the market. As the foundation of NATO’s next generation of air power, the F-35 is the most advanced aircraft in the world today, and includes Electronic Attack capabilities well beyond any specialized fourth generation aircraft.”
Valerie Insinna in Washington contributed to this report.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019...ts-germanys-retrograde-step-refusing-f-35-jet
Lockheed Exec Blasts Germany's "Retrograde Step" Of Refusing F-35 Jet
by Tyler Durden
Thu, 05/02/2019 - 04:15
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American defense contractor giant Lockheed Martin has blasted Germany over its refusal to buy its F-35 stealth fighters, in the latest row over the future of NATO defense readiness.
In early February it was confirmed that Germany snubbed Lockheed's cutting edge and expensive joint strike fighter, knocking the American stealth fighter of out of a tender worth billions of euros, as Germany's military considers how to replace its aging Tornado warplanes, for which Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet and Airbus' NATO Eurofighter Typhoon remain prime alternate contenders.
Image source: ReutersLockheed Martin’s vice president for Europe, Jonathan Hoyle, told FT that knocking the F-35 out of contention will only hold Germany back in terms of ability to keep pace with NATO readiness.
Hoyle described a resulting situation in Europe where “Germany’s position going forward” has been questioned, citing personal conversations with diplomats. These conversations revealed deep “disappointment” with the further criticism that “Germany, which has the biggest defense budget, has just taken this retrograde step and isn’t going to be there”.
“So when we go off and collaborate together operationally, if you are flying stealth, fifth-generation jets, you don’t want a fourth-generation jet in the middle of your operations because everyone can see that”, he told FT. The Lockheed executive still touted Europe as a "key area of growth," however, especially Poland, which has recently vowed to increase its defense spending.
Multiple reports since the German Defense Ministry's decision earlier this year have described it as a major setback for Lockheed:
The decision was seen as a big setback for Lockheed, the top US arms maker, which had hoped to add to recent F-35 sales to other European countries, including Belgium.
Its European vice-president Jonathan Hoyle said Berlin’s failure to opt for the F-35 had raised concerns among allies and prompted the question: “What does it mean for NATO?”
A final decision will be made pending delivery of detailed information from from Boeing and Airbus about their respective aircraft, which must be able to carry and deliver US nuclear weapons in accord with Germany's NATO obligations, and which further must be certified by Washington to carry the nukes.Its European vice-president Jonathan Hoyle said Berlin’s failure to opt for the F-35 had raised concerns among allies and prompted the question: “What does it mean for NATO?”
This presents a number of potential fault lines that could crack open wide the US-German relationship, and with implications for broader NATO defense, especially related to German Air Force ability to carry American nuclear warheads.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...th-jet-fighter-angela-merkel-defence-spending
Germany BACKLASH: Fury brewing at Merkel’s fighter jet upgrade plan - ‘What about NATO?’
GERMANY has come under fire for its decision to drop the F-35 stealth fighter as part of the upgrade of its airforce.
By Simon Osborne
PUBLISHED: 00:07, Wed, May 1, 2019 | UPDATED: 13:52, Wed, May 1, 2019
Lockheed Martin, which makes the warplane, described the move as a “retrograde step” and warned the country’s ability to operate at the same level of as its NATO allies would be compromised. Germany will pick either the Eurofighter or Boeing’s F/A-18 fighter jet to replace its ageing fleet of Tornado warplanes. Defence ministers will make a final decision after receiving detailed information from Boeing and Airbus about the aircraft, which must be able to carry US nuclear weapons to fulfil Germany’s obligations to NATO.
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What does it mean for NATO?
Jonathan Hoyle
The decision was seen as a big setback for Lockheed, the top US arms maker, which had hoped to add to recent F-35 sales to other European countries, including Belgium.Jonathan Hoyle
Its European vice-president Jonathan Hoyle said Berlin’s failure to opt for the F-35 had raised concerns among allies and prompted the question: “What does it mean for NATO?”
Mr Hoyle said a number of ambassadors had expressed their disappointment at the German decision.
He told the FT: “While many of their countries are investing in fifth-generation fighter jet technology by opting for the F-35, Germany, which has the biggest defence budget, has just taken this retrograde step and isn’t going to be there.
Germany has decided not to buy F35 stealth fighter jets (Image: GETTY)
Germany is replacing its ageing fleet of Tornadoes (Image: GETTY)
“So when we go off and collaborate together operationally, if you are flying stealth, fifth-generation jets, you don’t want a fourth-generation jet in the middle of your operations because everyone can see that.”
Germany’s air force chief of staff was fired last year after he expressed a clear preference for the F-35. The ministry later said it favoured a “European solution”.
Airbus welcomed the news about the Eurofighter replacement purchases, and said it remained convinced that its jet offered the lowest-risk prospect for replacing the Tornado jets.
Paris, Germany’s closest European partner, had warned that buying the F-35 in particular could derail plans to develop a new Franco-German fighter by 2040.
Germany’s defence commitment has come under regular attack from Donald Trump who has criticised Angela Merkel’s government for failing to spend enough money on defence.
https://www.almasdarnews.com/articl...-germany-over-their-refusal-to-buy-f-35-jets/
US defense giant blasts Germany over their refusal to buy F-35 jets
By
News Desk
-
2019-04-30
7
Lockheed Martin’s vice president for Europe, Jonathan Hoyle, predicted in his interview with The Financial Times that Germany’s decision to waive the F-35 stealth fighter jet as a possible replacement for its ageing Tornados could hamper its ability to operate at the same level as NATO.
He revealed that the choice to consider buying either Airbus-made Eurofighters or F-18s from another US-based corporation, Boeing, had caught a lot of governments “on the hop”. According to the top-manager, the move puzzled other European governments when it came to “Germany’s position going forward” as well as what it means for NATO. He cited several ambassadors who had voiced “disappointment” and noted that “Germany, which has the biggest defence budget, has just taken this retrograde step and isn’t going to be there”.
“So when we go off and collaborate together operationally, if you are flying stealth, fifth-generation jets, you don’t want a fourth-generation jet in the middle of your operations because everyone can see that”, he claimed, pointing out that other allies had invested in Lockheed Martin’s latest technology, opting for the F-35.
Despite the setback in Germany, Lockheed Martin’s vice president referred to Europe as a key area of growth; notably, Poland has vowed to spend two percent of its GDP on defence and is expected to develop into a regional hub for the company.
Earlier this year, numerous reports, citing officials from the country’s Defence Ministry, said that the German Armed Forces, Bundeswehr, had decided against buying Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth combat aircraft, which is capable of performing both ground attacks and air missions. Berlin is expected to choose between US-based Boeing’s F/A-18 jets or Eurofighters produced by European giant Airbus, as Germany pursues its plan to replace its ageing Tornados, which entered service with the German Air Force in 1983.
ALSO READ F-35 can't do this: Russia's Su-57 stealth fighter has new weapon
The country’s government wants to adhere to NATO’s nuclear weapon obligations despite plans to replace the Tornado jets, which currently fulfil this function, earlier reports suggested. The air force has stationed about 45 Tornado aircraft, designed to carry American nuclear bombs in the event of a crisis, at a key air base in Büchel, while the country’s other aircraft are incapable of fulfilling such tasks.
Over the past two years, the European powerhouse has come under fire from US President Donald Trump, as it still does not meet NATO’s defence spending target. Although Germany is raising their military expenditures, it remains far behind the two percent target level set in an agreement between member states in 2014.
Source: Sputnik
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