By Sabine Siebold and Mike Stone
BERLIN/WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Germany is considering ordering more U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, two sources told Reuters, a move that would deepen Berlin's reliance on American military technology as its joint next-generation fighter programme with France falters.
One source said Berlin was in talks that could lead to the purchase of more than 35 additional jets. A second source did not specify the number. Both sources cautioned that the outcome was still uncertain.
Asked for comment, a German government spokesperson denied any current plans to purchase additional F-35 fighter jets.
"There are no plans, and there is no decision," the spokesperson said.
A spokesperson for the defence ministry in Berlin said in a statement there were currently "no concrete plans or political decisions" for the procurement of more F-35s.
In 2022, Germany purchased 35 of the aircraft, which are due to begin delivery later this year.
FRANCO-GERMAN FIGHTER JET COLLABORATION ON THE ROCKS
The potential acquisition of more Lockheed Martin stealth fighters, at a cost of more than $80 million each, comes as Germany and France are deadlocked on their Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme.
The 100-billion-euro ($118-billion) project, launched in 2017 to replace France's Rafales and Eurofighters from 2040, has been stalled by industrial rivalries.
Insiders expect Germany and France to abandon the development of a joint fighter jet but continue cooperation on drones and the so-called combat cloud, the digital backbone linking manned and unmanned platforms within the FCAS system.
Purchasing more F-35 jets would buy Germany time to figure out a solution for the development of a sixth-generation fighter jet and find a partner for such a project.
A spokesperson for defence contractor Lockheed Martin said the company was focused on building F-35s already ordered by Germany. A Pentagon spokesperson referred questions to Germany.
Expansion of Germany's F-35 fleet would mark a significant strategic shift toward deeper military integration with the United States and away from European defence autonomy, a priority for fellow European Union member France.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz questioned on Wednesday whether developing a manned sixth-generation jet, as FCAS has sought to do, still made sense for his country's air force.
"Will we still need a manned fighter jet in 20 years' time? Do we still need it, given that we will have to develop it at great expense?" Merz said on the Machtwechsel podcast.
The F-35 aircraft will succeed the Tornado jets in their role of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs stored in Germany in the event of a conflict.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said last week the fate of FCAS would become clear within days.
($1 = 0.8480 euros)
(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington and Sabine Siebold in Berlin, additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin; Editing by Chris Sanders, Cynthia Osterman and Joe Bavier)
