Questions over German F-35 Purchase after its Grounding in the U.S.

Some military experts are on the fence on Germany’s decision to buy F-35 stealth fighter jets, after an American F-35B crashed recently which led to its type being grounded in the U.S. and Israel.

German leaders announced a deal worth over $8 billion to buy 35 F-35s to replace its Tornado fleet in mid-December. The Tornado is the only German fighter capable of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs, which are stored in the country, in case of a conflict. Tornados are old- the German Air force has been flying them since the 1980s, and Berlin is planning to phase it out between 2025 and 2030.

First eight F-35 aircraft are to be delivered to Berlin in 2026.

On Dec. 15, Lockheed Martin was conducting tests on a F-35B in Texas to evaluate its hovering capabilities when it crashed. The pilot ejected safely and was unharmed. Although it was the B-variant that allows for short take-off and vertical landing on aircraft carriers that crashed, Israel grounded 11 of its F-35I jets that are based on the F-35A. The F-35A features a conventional take-off and landing system.

According to a classified letter to parliament’s budget committee, Germany’s defense ministry has reportedly expressed concerns about "delays and additional costs.”

Risk factors cited by the ministry range from upgrading work needed at air fields that will host the F-35s, security requirements, and potential problems with approval for flight operations in Germany.

“The variant of the upcoming flagship jet of the Bundeswehr is currently banned from take-off after a crash in the USA. The crash marks just the latest in a series of mishaps. Has Germany bought a barely usable aircraft?” is a question raised by German news outlet welt.

An anonymous source told Defense News that a propulsion system issue led to the Dec. 15 crash.

The source explained that, in guidance to the services, the Joint Program Office (JPO) said a failure of a tube used to transfer high-pressure fuel in the fighter’s F135 engine prompted the office to update its safety risk assessments. The JPO also told the services that jets with fewer than 40 hours of flying are affected, the source said.

The JPO also made a statement to Defense News confirming the grounding in which it also revealed that the guidance applies to all three variants (F-35A/B/C) of the fighter.

This grounding could cause delays in production owing to quality control issues or subsystem design flaws. In the past, there have been issues with the airplane’s propulsion and thermal management systems, its onboard oxygen system, its custom helmet-mounted display, even its susceptibility to lighting strikes.

Moreover, in February 2022 36 F-35As were grounded simply due to lack of operable engines, number that has increased year over year since 2020. The General Accounting Office (GAO) has concluded that the extended time it takes to repair the complex P&W F135 engine means the Pentagon lacks enough spare engines.