Europe and Canada are eyeing alternatives to American-made fighter jets. Here's why
BERLIN (AP) — Questions are mounting in Canada and in Europe over whether big-ticket purchases of high-end U.S. weaponry, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, are still a wise strategic choice for Western countries worried about their investment in U.S. defense technology.
In less than two months, U.S. President Donald Trump has upended decades of foreign policy. He has left NATO members questioning whether Washington will honor the trans-Atlantic alliance’s commitment to defend each other, if other European countries are attacked by Russia. He’s also made repeat overtures to Moscow and suspended most U.S. foreign aid.
That could impact foreign sales of the Lockheed Martin-produced F-35 and other advanced U.S. jets like the F-16. As Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on, it’s become clear that Eastern European NATO members still have vast stores of Soviet-era weapons in their stockpiles that weren’t interoperable with Western weaponry.
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Some of the NATO countries are now rethinking tying their defense to U.S.-made systems and potentially considering European jets.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-f35-defense-military-fighter-jets-7e18c5459228d16769385dd0b8c3d930