F-35 will be used instead of Tornado aircraft
In February it was reported that Germany was showing interest in F-35 fighters. Currently, the Tornado is the only fighter aircraft that can carry a US atomic bomb placed in Germany in the event of a conflict. The German Air Force has been flying Tornado planes since the 1980s. Now due to outdated technology, a plan has been made to remove it in a systematic manner from 2015. Buying Lockheed Martin’s F-35 for Germany is considered a big setback for Boeing. Former German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karenbauer supported the purchase of Boeing’s F-18 fighter jets to replace the Tornado.
German F-35 deal may increase tensions in France
This decision of Germany may also upset France. France has considered the purchase of Germany’s F-18 or F-35 against the joint plan. In fact, Germany and France had agreed to work together on the project of the fifth generation indigenous fighter aircraft. Both the countries were also planning to fly the prototype of the first fighter aircraft by 2040. Chancellor Olaf Scholz had mentioned jointly building the plane with France only two weeks ago.
Germany has announced to increase the defense budget
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in late February to invest 100 billion euros in his Armed Forces Special Fund. With this, Germany’s defense budget will increase to 2 percent of the total GDP. Germany’s entire defense budget in 2021 was only 47 billion euros. According to NATO data, Germany was spending only 1.53 percent of its GDP on defense in 2021. The US has criticized Germany’s low defense budget many times.
The effect of rising tension with Russia
Germany has remained a peace-loving country since the Second World War. Being a member of NATO, Germany did not increase its defense budget much in the last 20 to 30 years. The country also has a base for the US Army and Air Force. Despite this, Germany had an agreement with Russia to meet its energy needs. Gas has been exported from Russia to Germany through the Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline for the past several years.
Germany dealt a big economic blow to Russia
Germany has halted the approval process for Russia’s Nord Stream Gas Pipeline-2 after its invasion of Ukraine. This $11 billion gas pipeline will go from Siberia in Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. This pipeline will almost double the capacity of Nord Stream-1 already running between Russia and Germany. Russia was dreaming of transporting its gas to other countries of Europe through this pipeline.
F-35 Fighter Aircraft