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. The country's air force has recommended buying the jets, but the outgoing defense minister said "the predictability of our allies" must be taken into account when making procurement decisions. With the dramatic realignment taking place under Trump - who said again today he would annex Greenland and threatened Canada - there are fears the U.S. government could decide block access to software updates and spare parts needed to make the F-35 fully operational.
"" 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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