Lorraine Williamson
Spain has walked away from talks to purchase American-made F-35 fighter jets, marking a major shift in its defence strategy. The government is now doubling down on European-made alternatives, aligning its military investment with its broader geopolitical vision for strategic autonomy within the EU.
This decision effectively ends negotiations with US defence giant Lockheed Martin, despite previous interest from both the Spanish Air Force and Navy.
Under Spain’s current military investment programme — totalling more than €10 billion — the Sánchez government has pledged to keep 85% of defence spending within Europe. That commitment has made it politically and economically unfeasible to justify buying US-manufactured fighter jets.
Instead, Spain is pinning its hopes on long-term European-led solutions such as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) — a joint Franco-German-Spanish project expected to be ready by around 2040.
Spanish Navy faces aircraft gap
The Navy is expected to retire its ageing fleet of Harrier jump jets by 2030, leaving a significant capability gap aboard the Juan Carlos I, Spain’s flagship aircraft carrier. The only vertical take-off aircraft capable of replacing them — the American F-35B — is now off the table.
In the short term, that means the Juan Carlos I will operate without fixed-wing aircraft, relying solely on helicopters. The government is considering the future construction of a new aircraft carrier to accommodate alternative European models, such as the French Dassault Rafale. However, any such ship would take years to design and build.
Air Force opts for Eurofighter extension
The Air Force had considered the F-35A variant as a potential replacement for its fleet of F-18s, but will now continue operating Eurofighter Typhoons until the FCAS is operational.
According to General Javier Salto Martínez-Avial, there is no immediate urgency. The current aircraft are expected to remain viable until at least 2035. However, he acknowledged the technological superiority of the F-35, particularly in stealth operations — a capability recently demonstrated during covert strikes by the US and Israel on Iranian targets.
Even so, the Air Force favours a diversified fleet and prefers not to rely too heavily on a single model or foreign technology.
High costs and limited autonomy undermine F-35 appeal
Critics of the F-35 programme — including several European governments — have long pointed to its spiralling costs and dependency on the United States for critical operations and maintenance.
Although Lockheed Martin has claimed that some production for Spain would be carried out in Italy, Spanish officials remain concerned that the aircraft’s proprietary systems could be remotely restricted by Washington in the event of conflict.
Switzerland, for example, has faced domestic backlash over similar sovereignty concerns after committing to the F-35.
US-Spain tensions grow as NATO pressure mounts
The timing of Spain’s withdrawal from the F-35 programme is politically sensitive. At the recent NATO summit in The Hague, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pushed back against demands from Donald Trump that all NATO members spend 5% of GDP on defence.
Spain currently spends around 1.3% and argues that ramping up to 5% would overwhelm both the national budget and European arms manufacturers. Sánchez warned that such a move would deepen Europe’s dependence on US-made weapons — the very scenario he wants to avoid.
Trump, in response, reportedly threatened to impose trade barriers on countries that fail to meet the target.
Strategic independence over speed
While the F-35 remains one of the most advanced multi-role aircraft in the world, Spain’s decision reflects a broader political stance: sovereignty and European solidarity over dependency and speed.
For the Spanish military, the transition may involve short-term compromises, especially for the Navy. But for the government, the long game is clear — a unified, self-reliant European defence future that puts Brussels, not Washington, in control.
The pressure is on
Spain’s path toward a European-led military capability will be neither fast nor easy. With the Navy facing a potential aircraft vacuum and the Air Force reliant on ageing jets for another decade, the pressure is on for European projects like FCAS to deliver — and quickly.
In the meantime, Spain’s decision sends a clear signal: future defence priorities will be made in Europe, not across the Atlantic.
Source: El País