The German defense minister has thrown her support behind Eurofighters and F-18s to replace the Bundeswehr's aging fleet of Tornadoes. But defense experts have called on Berlin to reconsider the state of the art F-35.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Matthews
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German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Wednesday told Munich-based newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung that she supports the acquisition of Eurofighter and US F-18 multirole combat jets to replace Germany's aging fleet of Tornadoes.
Her comments come as the Bundestag defense committee debates on how to move forward with the Tornado fleet. Defense ministry estimates suggest that repairing and modernizing the Tornadoes could cost billions of euros.
The procurement of 93 Eurofighter jets and 45 F-18s would also cost billions of euros. Although the acquisition of Airbus-made Eurofighters fall into Germany's larger strategic positioning within the European defense industry, they do not possess nuclear-sharing capabilities.
The Eurofighter will make up the bulk of the new fleet Kramp-Karrenbauer is assembling, but it's not nuclear-capableImage: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Berg
The nuclear question
Under NATO, allies have access to US nuclear weapons as part of the alliance's nuclear deterrence strategy. Speaking during a US visit last year, Kramp-Karrenbauer said Germany's choice for the Tornado's successor would ensure the continuity of this policy.
"My goal is that we make clear decisions as quickly as possible next year, so there is no time period in which there is no reasonable solution for replacing the Tornado fleet," she said in September.
The F-18s would satisfy that nuclear-sharing requirement until 2040, after which a sixth-generation multirole fighter jet from the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) would likely replace it.
The FCAS is a European program led by Germany and France to overhaul and standardize aerial defense on the continent. It is cited as the principal reason why Germany would not move forward with the US' F-35 program.
However, not everyone is on board with Kramp-Karrenbauer's proposal. The Social Democrats, who are junior coalition partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, are reportedly at odds with the idea of acquiring Boeing-made F-18s.
Meanwhile, German defense experts have called on Berlin to reconsider the far newer F-35, saying it future-proofs the Bundeswehr's capabilities and satisfies Germany's responsibilities under NATO collective defense.
"Germany's federal government has the responsibility to provide its pilots, who have to be able to carry out a particularly dangerous combat mission, with the best suited combat aircraft," said a policy brief by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).
"Before taking the final decision, the F-35 should be included in the comparative analysis and evaluation."
F-18s have been in the skies since late in the Cold War, first seeing action in 1986.
Bundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment
Germany's military faces almost daily reports on new problems with its hardware: planes and helicopters on the ground, tanks and ships not operational. The list goes on.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Faulty tanks and grounded helicopters
Frustrated soldiers and a defense system struggling to repair its way into a fully functioning military. And a new defense minister who will have to regain confidence from army representatives.
Image: Getty Images/V. Wieker
Defective helicopters
Ageing helicopters have proved a big hurdle for the German military. The Bundeswehr has grounded all its 53 Tiger helicopters, after engineers said technical faults needed attention. Defense services were also forced to recall 22 Sea Lynx anti-submarine helicopters in 2014, confirming newspaper reports of malfunction.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Carsten Rehder
Manufacturing fault
The Eurofighter is the German military's most modern fighter jet. As a result of a manufacturing error, only four of the 128 planes were in action in 2018. A pilot was killed in June 2019 when two Eurofighters collided in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, prompting fresh calls for further restrictions on the plane's use.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Let's replace it... as soon as we make a decision
Tornado fighters have been flying for over 40 years. CDU plans to replace the ageing planes were thrown into question by the center-left SPD in February 2019. But some officials claim flying the Tornado after 2030 could cost Germany around €8 billion ($9 billion) in repair costs.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Udo Zander
Not making any tracks
New Puma tanks for the German military came into use in 2018. Only 27 of the 71 Pumas were immediately ready for deployment — which prompted a fresh backlash against then Defense Secretary Ursula von der Leyen.
Image: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images
Glitches at sea
New F125 frigates — but they are't ready yet. German plans to replace the old frigates stalled in 2018, due to there not being enough spare parts to make them seaworthy. Officials also said Germany would have to soon stop signing up to NATO and UN missions in the same year — the country just did not have enough ships spare.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Headache for AKK?
She has not been in the job long, but Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has inherited a huge problem. Old equipment being grounded is now a regular and pressing occurrence. Former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen signed a deal to develop a "Future Combat Air System" in June — which is scheduled to replace Germany's air force by 2040.
