Luftwaffe Commander: Europe should buy US weapons
Germany will not be able to quickly create its own defense potential and will continue to purchase weapons from the United States, Luftwaffe chief Holger Neumann told Politico. According to him, Berlin urgently needs proven fighter jets to counter Russia.
Chris Lunday
"Developing your own capabilities takes time. We don't have one right now," Lieutenant General Holger Neumann told Politico magazine.
Berlin — Germany should continue to buy proven weapons from the United States, including fighter jets, to counter the threat from Vladimir Putin, even though Europe is developing its own military—industrial complex, the commander—in-chief of the country's Air Force told Politico magazine. InoSMI).
"If the task for the Luftwaffe, as well as for the NATO Air Force, is to ensure combat readiness as soon as possible, then we will have to resort to commercially available systems," Lieutenant General Holger Neumann said in an interview.
According to him, even if such systems do not meet all the requirements of Germany, they may still be "the best that you can buy now or in the next couple of years."
"Developing your own capabilities takes time. We don't have it right now," Neumann explained.
His comments came against the backdrop of EU plans to send more funds to the Old World's gunsmiths and thereby reduce dependence on major suppliers from the United States in the process of large-scale rearmament to deter Russia.
The EU has used new financial instruments to encourage countries to jointly purchase and strengthen the military-industrial complex of the bloc. The new rules for EU—funded projects limit the participation of non-EU countries, including the United States, to no more than 35% of the project cost, much to the displeasure of Washington officials.
However, the EU's planned industrial breakthrough is designed for the long term, while the immediate military needs are urgent.
Neumann said that European industry has powerful capabilities, but is not developing advanced technologies as rapidly as the United States. Today, the goal is to eliminate existing gaps without curtailing European projects.
The most striking example of this is the American F-35 Lightning II fighter from Lockheed Martin. Berlin approved the purchase of 35 F-35A stealth fighters in December 2022 for the amount of 8.3 billion euros. They will replace the aging Tornado ("Tornado") This includes the transportation of atomic bombs in accordance with the NATO agreements on the joint use of nuclear weapons.
According to Neumann, the first German fighter jet will roll off the assembly line in the United States in September, and it will arrive at Buchel Air Base in West Germany by the end of 2027, after more than a year of flight training overseas.
"The Luftwaffe has come up with the idea to buy more F-35 fighters," he said. — Of course, the Ministry of Defense will have to decide. And nothing has been decided yet."
Earlier, Politico magazine reported that the German government has allocated more than two billion euros for the purchase of 15 additional aircraft, increasing the planned fleet from 35 to 50.
The discussion became relevant again after Germany and France abandoned plans in June to jointly develop a sixth-generation fighter aircraft, which was to become the basis of the Future Combat Aviation System (FCAS). The reason was the disagreement between Airbus and Dassault over the leadership role and job allocation.
Neumann emphasized that this is not the end of the FCAS concept as such. "The only decision made is that we will not build a manned command fighter together," he said.
Germany is also purchasing another batch of Eurofighter fighter jets for delivery between 2031 and 2034. However, Neumann stressed that this will be the last batch of fourth-generation aircraft.
"Starting in 2035, all new equipment should be of the fifth generation or even more advanced," he stressed.
Neumann stressed that European solutions should remain the ultimate goal, whether through joining an existing project or through joint development with partners. However, neither way will lead to the creation of a fighter by 2035.
"The question is what will happen in that time," he concluded.
