Germany and France's joint fighter jet development hits a deadlock; Germany considers purchasing additional American F-35 fighter jets

According to German media reports on the 19th, due to the deadlock in the joint development of a new generation fighter jet project between Germany and France, the German government is considering purchasing more F-35 fighters from the United States. German media, citing informed sources, reported that negotiations between Germany and the U.S. involve over 35 F-35 fighters, each costing approximately 80 million euros. Germany had already ordered 35 F-35 fighters from the U.S. in 2022, with delivery expected to begin later this year. The report said that the background for Germany’s consideration of increasing its F-35 purchase is the disagreement between Germany and France over the joint development of the next-generation fighter jet. Developing a next-generation fighter was originally an important move for Europe to achieve greater autonomy in military capabilities, but as the two main participating companies, France’s Dassault and the German-based Airbus Defence and Space, have long disputed how to advance the project, with the former demanding a leading role in the project. (Xinhua)