Key Points

As per Politico's report citing local Spanish media sources, preliminary contacts for the acquisition of the fifth-generation American stealth jets have been halted. Instead, the Spanish government is now looking at European options, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and the upcoming Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

"The Spanish option involves the current Eurofighter and the FCAS in the future," Politico reported, citing Spanish defence ministry sources .

According to Politico, the decision is likely to be a "major setback" to Lockheed Martin, the US defence giant, as Spain had earlier shown interest in the F-35 programme.

In 2017, Madrid issued a non-binding request for information about the aircraft. The country's 2023 budget had also set aside over Six billion euros for replacing both navy and air force aircraft.

Spain's Navy plans to retire its Harrier AV8B fighters by 2030 and had considered replacing them with the F-35B variant, which is capable of short take-off and vertical landing. This version is already in service with the United States and Italy.

Earlier, the Spanish air force had been evaluating the F-35A model as a temporary stopgap solution to replace its ageing fleet of McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets while awaiting the rollout of FCAS.

Politico also noted that the shift in procurement policy may further strain relations between Spain and the United States.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has openly criticised NATO's new defence spending target of five per cent of GDP, a goal advocated by US President Donald Trump, Politico further noted.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is also planning to acquire two to three squadrons of fifth-generation fighter jets from foreign sources to strengthen its combat capabilities until the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) becomes operational.

However, in response to a question in the Lok Sabha regarding India's military ties with the United States and implying whether a potential acquisition of the F-35 Lightning II could be on the cards, Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh said that "no formal discussions" have been held on the issue so far.

The Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs said, "The India-US Joint Statement following the meeting of Prime Minister (PM Modi) with US President Donald Trump on 13th February 2025 mentions that the US will undertake a review of its policy on releasing fifth-generation fighters (such as the F-35) and undersea systems to India. No formal discussions have been held as yet on this issue."

Meanwhile, Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian imports, citing national security over India's Russian oil trade. "We did it with India. We are doing it probably with a couple of others; one of them could be China," he said.

India called the move "unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable".

- ANI