Ministry: No F-35 procurement crisis

Created: 05.12.2022, 13:35

Christine Lambrecht (SPD), Defense Minister, leaves the plenary hall in the Bundestag.

© Michael Kappeler/dpa/archive image

The Department of Defense has denied reports of significant new risks in the Air Force's purchase of the F-35 stealth jet.

The budget committee of the Bundestag was informed in a 25 million euro bill which aspects of the project are still unclear and how the consequences and the likelihood of problems are to be mitigated, said a spokesman for the ministry on Monday in Berlin.

Berlin - "There is no crisis.

There is currently no problem in the planning, not even in the infrastructure," said the spokesman.

According to the submission to the committee, the project is "clearly on the right track" and "everything is green".

Dissatisfaction with possible risks in the planned purchase of the US aircraft had become loud among members of the budget committee.

Representatives of the traffic light coalition wanted to advise on Monday.

The "Bild am Sonntag" reported at the weekend about a secret submission in which the Ministry of Defense warned of significant risks in the business, which could also affect the conversion of the airfield in Büchel (Rhineland-Palatinate) and the granting of national certification for the aircraft.

The Defense Department spokesman said there are nine nations that already have the F-35.

The aircraft is still in a test phase in some areas, but more than 800 machines have been delivered, almost half of them to nations outside the USA.

Some of the possible risks initially remain open because the USA did not make secret data available before the deal was concluded.

He said: "Since we are in this process now, we still have enough time - it's easily four years before the first plane reaches the Bundeswehr - to deal with these risks."

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is facing growing criticism because of problems with procurement projects.

Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Monday when asked how satisfied the federal government was with the work of the minister: "The federal chancellor is satisfied with the work of all the ministers in this cabinet." dpa