BERLIN (Reuters) – The German parliament’s budget committee on Wednesday approved a 10 billion euro ($10.50 billion) purchase of F-35 fighter jets produced by U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin, two members of the committee told Reuters.
It is one of the first major defence projects where Berlin will tap money from a 100 billion euro ($106 billion) special fund that Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in a major policy shift days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
The money is meant to bring the Bundeswehr’s weapons and equipment back up to standard after decades of attrition following the end of the Cold War.
Germany aims to buy 35 F-35 stealth fighter jets in total, including missiles and other weapons and equipment, with the first eight aircraft to be delivered in 2026.
The U.S. jet will replace the ageing Tornado, the only German jet capable of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs, which are stored in Germany to be used in case of a conflict.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Holger Hansen, Writing by Rachel More; editing by Matthias Williams)
