Belgium accelerates military investment with more F-35s

23 April 2025

Belgium is to buy more fighter jets, and they will once again be American F-35s. This was made clear by prime minister Bart De Wever (N-VA) during a parliamentary session on Wednesday.

De Wever explained the details of his government's recent Easter agreement during a meeting of the Home Affairs Committee. A key component of the agreement is defence spending: Belgium will increase its military budget to meet NATO's 2% GDP target by 2025 - four years earlier than originally planned. This means an extra €4 billion in spending this year, although details of how this money will be allocated are expected in July.

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Budget debates notwithstanding, De Wever said Belgium must meet NATO's operational capability requirements. As the country has already ordered 34 F-35s, any further purchases will be of the same model. He added that the new aircraft could be manufactured in Italy, echoing an earlier statement by Defence minister Theo Francken (N-VA).

Internal disagreement

However, there is internal disagreement within the coalition government over the need to buy more F-35s. Yvan Verougstraete, the newly appointed leader of the French-speaking centrist party Les Engagés, voiced his opposition last week. "Of course it's the government's decision, but I think the money could be better spent elsewhere," he told De Standaard. "Otherwise we risk deepening our dependence on the United States."

Belgium's decision is part of a wider European pattern of reassessing or strengthening transatlantic defence ties. In late March, the UK confirmed that it would go ahead with a multi-billion pound deal to buy more F-35s, citing the prohibitive cost of the Eurofighter Typhoon. This comes amid growing concerns, particularly from Germany, about the geopolitical risks of relying on US-made defence systems - especially in light of former president Donald Trump's potential return to power.

Reassessing deals

Other countries are also reconsidering their commitments to the F-35 programme. Both Portugal and Canada have signalled a reassessment. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently questioned whether the purchase of the jets - part of a deal worth C$19 billion (about €12.2 billion) - was the best investment for the country at this time. Canada has already paid a deposit for the first 16 jets, which are expected to be delivered early next year.

^{An F35 fighter jet at Luke Air Force Base © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM}

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