Portugal ruled out replacing its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets with more modern F-35s because of Donald Trump - in one of the first examples of the U.S. president killing a potential lucrative arms deal.
"" Portugal Defense Minister announced that Portugal will not purchase F-35 fighter jets from the US, citing geopolitical uncertainty and the unpredictability of American policy.[image or embed]
" MAKS 24 ... (@maks23.bsky.social) March 13, 2025 at 2:05 PM
How about the French Rafale fighter? "The Rafale is considered one of the most advanced and capable warplanes in the world, and among the most successful internationally. It has been used in combat over Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq and Syria." www.airforce-technology.com
Thanks, Sitzkrieg. I'm a ground guy. To me there are slow movers and fast movers, friendly or enemy. Last year, Macron went to Saudi Arabia pushing this fighter on MBS; maybe he won't buy them now. defencesecurityasia.com
Exactly what Trumpers want.
#16 | Posted by sitzkrieg
Yep! We've lost credibility. And now we're going to lose the weapon sales that went along with that credibility.
Trump may not have a kill switch' for fighter jets - but he has something else
The day-to-day running of aircraft is heavily reliant on US systems, from software updates to spare parts. This means that America does have the ability to make F-35s work less efficiently or less safely - if at all.
www.msn.com
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