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Berlin, March 14 (EFE).- The German government confirmed today that it is continuing with the plan to modernize its Air Force with 35 US F-35 fighters manufactured by Lockheed Martin to replace the obsolete Tornado fleet.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz “said very clearly in his government statement of February 27 that for the nuclear distribution we will acquire a modern replacement for the obsolete Tornadoes in time,” the executive’s deputy spokesman recalled at a regular press conference, Wolfgang Büchner.
Nuclear sharing is a term created by NATO for dissuasive purposes that provides that countries without this type of weapons plan their own methods of storage, transport and use of atomic weapons, as well as the conduct of exercises and maneuvers to practice an eventual use of these.
“The Eurofighter will be enabled for electronic warfare, the F-35 fighter jet will be taken into account FOR aircraft carriers. That was already a very clear statement,” he stressed.
For his part, Arne Collatz, Defense spokesman, recalled that the replacement of the Tornadoes is part of the government coalition agreement between Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals and that the head of the branch, Christine Lambrecht, made it clear right away when assuming the office, that it is a “very urgent” decision that will be taken shortly.
In this regard, and following the foreign minister spoke regarding it in his government statement, “naturally it cannot surprise anyone that this decision is now imminent”, while assuring, without express confirmation, that there will soon be a official comment on it.
“With the beginning of the 20th legislature, we will acquire a system that replaces the Tornado combat aircraft and we will accompany the acquisition and certification process with a view to Germany’s nuclear sharing in an objective and conscientious manner,” the coalition agreement states.
According to media reports, the German government plans to equip its Air Force with up to 35 F-35 fighters and also acquire another fifteen Eurofighters from Airbus, intended for electronic warfare, for which, until now, Tornados were also used. .
In his government declaration before the Bundestag (lower house), Scholz announced the intention to invest each year more than 2% of the gross domestic product in defense, as well as an extraordinary item of 100,000 million to rearm the underfunded German armed forces.
(c) EFE Agency
