Mar 14, 2022: According to a report by Reuters, Germany has decided in principle to purchase the US fighter jet F-35 built by Lockheed Martin to replace its ageing Tornado.

A German defense source told Reuters in early February that Germany was interested in buying the F-35, but no final decision had been made. The Tornado is the only German jet capable of carrying an American nuclear bomb, which is safe in Germany in the event of a conflict.

But the Air Force has been flying jets since the 1980s, and Berlin plans to phase it out between 2025 and 2030. It is not clear how many F-35 jets Germany could try to buy.

The decision to purchase the F-35 will be a blow for Boeing whose F-18 was favoured by former German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to replace the Tornado.

The decision to buy the U.S fighter jet could also upset France. Paris is watching past German talks over whether to decide on an F-18 or F-35, worried that it could undermine the development of a joint Franco-German fighter jet to be launched in the 2040s.

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