Defence minister hopes to order extra F-35 fighter jets in Italy
Belgian Defence minister Theo Francken has asked his Italian counterpart whether the extra F-35 fighter jets Belgium wants to order could be built in Italy, and not in the US. The move would create jobs in Europe, Francken said on Monday in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws.
In 2018, former Defence minister Steven Vandeput ordered 34 F-35s from US company Lockheed Martin. Those fighters are built in the US, in Fort Worth in Texas. The first aircraft are now ready and pilot training is under way at the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.
But the current Belgian government aims to buy additional fighter jets soon, as set out in the coalition agreement. According to Francken, these should be F-35s.
"However, I did ask the Italian Defence minister if we could produce them in Italy and not in the US, that would also create European jobs," Francken told Het Laatste Nieuws. Assembly of the F-35s would take place in Cameri, Italy.
Whether the new aircraft built in Europe would count as European purchases - a requirement of the EU to be allowed to borrow more money for defence - is unclear.
A F-35 fighter jet © PHOTO LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
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