Spain has officially shelved its long-discussed plan to acquire the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. The Spanish government has chosen instead to strengthen its Eurofighter fleet and allocate more resources to the FCAS (Future Combat Air System) programme, a joint initiative by France, Germany, and Spain.
According to a report by El País citing government sources, preliminary talks regarding the F-35 have been suspended. Behind the decision lies Spain’s strategy to channel most of this year’s €10.5 billion defence budget supplement into European programmes.
Full Support for the European Defence Industry
Madrid’s move is seen as part of a broader trend to reinforce European defence cooperation. The Eurofighter Typhoon and FCAS projects stand out as two key fighter platforms developed to bolster Europe’s strategic autonomy.
The Eurofighter currently forms the backbone of the Spanish Air Force.
The FCAS project, meanwhile, is defined as a sixth-generation fighter jet that will shape air combat doctrine beyond 2040.
Europa Press: “F-35 Fully Rejected”
Spanish news agency Europa Press reported that sources from the Ministry of Defence confirmed “the F-35 programme has been definitively shelved.”
Was the Sanchez–Trump Tension a Factor?
On the other hand, there is speculation that the decision was driven not only by economic but also geopolitical reasons.
In June, at the NATO summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez criticised the alliance’s goal for members to allocate 5% of their GDP to defence—a stance that led to open tension with U.S. President Donald Trump.
During the summit, Trump stated:
“They [Spain] are the only ones refusing to pay. We’ll make them pay double.”
He also threatened Spain with the imposition of customs tariffs.
