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Germany weighs post-FCAS FCAS exit: Pistorius signals scope to expand F-35 purchases

Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius says the country’s Future Combat Air System effort is not being set up in a way it would repeat—an apparent reference point for Berlin’s search for substitutes after the FCAS defeat. One option being discussed is ordering additional F-35 warplanes.

Discovered 2026-06-09T09:02:50.695967-07:00 | 2026-06-09T09:02:50.695967-07:00

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This marks a shift from a flagship European sixth-generation program toward near-term capability decisions, with Germany considering additional F-35s after the FCAS outcome described across Germany exits stalled Franco-Spanish stealth-fighter effort and France and Germany cancel FCAS New Generation Fighter.
For defense procurement planners, the signal that Berlin may expand F-35 buys affects basing, sustainment planning, and interoperability assumptions inside NATO nuclear-sharing timelines referenced in Lockheed begins final assembly on Germany’s first F-35A.
The comment underscores how FCAS governance/industrial challenges are forcing faster “bridge” procurement choices, continuing the thread from earlier FCAS dispute and alternative-option reporting such as FCAS dispute deepens as Airbus warns there is ‘no plan B’ and Germany seeks alternatives.

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aero.de zona-militar.com spiegel.de faz.net handelsblatt.com Breaking Defense