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European nations and Canada are “pushing away” from the F-35, motivated by a desire for “strategic autonomy” and political friction with the Trump administration
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Spain officially canceled its F-35 purchase in August 2025, opting for European-built alternatives. Switzerland is now also reviewing its 36-jet deal after being hit with a “shocking” $1.3 billion price hike and new 39% U.S. tariffs, and recent reports suggest that Portugal has not opted to purchase the U.S. jets
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Instead of the F-35, they are increasingly looking to European alternatives, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
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Canada’s 88-jet deal is also in “limbo,” as PM Mark Carney, angered by Trump’s “51st state” comments and trade disputes, ordered a review of the 72 un-committed jets
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Technological and industrial sovereignty are significant reasons why some countries are opting not to purchase the F-35. Some European nations prioritize developing their own defense industries and technological bases. Buying American-made F-35s would make them dependent on US supply chains and could suppress the development of their own next-generation aircraft programs. …
it’s not?
https://www.navylookout.com/us-watchdog-warns-of-growing-risks-to-f-35-programme/
“The U.S. Navy has faced numerous problems with the F-35, including significant issues with its high operating and maintenance costs, software and hardware deficiencies like overheating and landing gear problems, and complex supply chain challenges that impact readiness and delivery schedules. The F-35’s stealth capabilities require costly upkeep, its internal weapons can limit payload, and its reliance on software creates vulnerability to cyber threats. Additionally, some naval variants have experienced issues like structural damage from supersonic flight and difficulties with the helmet-mounted display during carrier landings.”
It’s a fucking lemon. We are better off with older gen planes we can independently maintain, because even the fucking US NAVY can’t get these planes to fly reliably.
It’s so effective in wargames it’s basically cheating. In the one actual deployment it’s seen it has an uptime as good as or better than older models. It now has a unit cost comparable to the Gripen, which is built in a much less high-tech way (for the sake of ruggedness and maintainability, on which it does still have the advantage).
I’m reading complaints here, but you can complain about anything. I’m not even clear on how many are current, since it had a very rocky development and the article is mostly about the Block 4 upgrades.