Amid a rapidly deteriorating relationship between Europe and the United States, Portugal is reconsidering its plans to purchase the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet and could be looking for a European alternative.

In an interview with Portuguese media outlet Público published on March 13, 2025, Portuguese Defense Minister Nuno Melo dismissed the prospect of acquiring the American fifth-generation fighter, citing the Trump administration’s unpredictability.

“We cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices. The recent position of the United States, in the context of NATO … must make us think about the best options, because the predictability of our allies is a greater asset to take into account,” the Minister said at the interview.

The development comes as cracks have appeared in the Transatlantic relationship since Donald Trump became the US President.

Besides reprimanding his allies, the Trump administration has made several strategic decisions that have raised alarm bells in Europe. For instance, last month, the US opened talks with Russian officials to end the protracted conflict in Ukraine, without Ukrainian or European officials.

Trump has trained his guns on his NATO allies, exhorting them to increase defense spending and threatening that Washington would not be responsible for their defense.

More importantly, though, the Portuguese decision is based on the precariousness associated with buying American hardware. For instance, Donald Trump halted military aid to Ukraine after a verbal spat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Oval Office.

Military aid has now been restored, but the incident has created a massive rift within the Transatlantic, with several European countries contemplating bolstering their defense independently of the US.

There is prevailing concern in Europe that an ‘unpredictable’ US administration could pause the delivery of critical parts or software updates for the aircraft.

The Portuguese decision was reportedly communicated days after German defense experts expressed concerns that the US could potentially use a “kill switch” on the F-35 to impose its political objectives. Despite Belgian and Swiss military officials dismissing such concerns, European military experts have flagged apprehensions about possible US disruption.

Portugal, like other European countries, understands that any F-35 fleet would rapidly become ineffective without access to American-controlled maintenance, logistical, and computer networks. Thus, the US would have indirect control over the operations of the F-35 in service with practically any country.

Echoing these concerns, the Portuguese Minister said, “The world has changed … and this ally of ours … could bring limitations to use, maintenance, components, and everything that has to do with ensuring that aircraft will be operational and used in all types of scenarios.”

European Fighters Over American Stealth Jets 

The Portuguese Air Force, which currently operates the US-origin F-16, first expressed interest in the F-35 aircraft in 2023 when Joe Biden was the US President. At the time, General João Guilherme Rosado Cartaxo Alves, the FAP’s Chief of Staff, stated that the F-35A is the best option to replace the aging Lockheed Martin F-16 AM/BM Fighting Falcon.

At the time, the choice of F-35 was in line with a larger trend: European countries were acquiring American stealth aircraft to combat rising security threats.

Several countries, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Denmark, signed up to purchase Lightning II aircraft in the wake of the Ukraine War. The aircraft would, it has been believed, add a much-needed capability to the European arsenal and ensure interoperability between NATO allies.

In April 2024, Portuguese Air Force Chief of Staff General João Cartaxo Alves said the service was in a “transition” phase toward the stealth fighter. The Chief also posited that the program would cost an estimated 5.5 billion euros and take around 20 years to implement—a statement that made it look like a purchase was imminent.

The Portuguese Ministry of Defense later backtracked and said, “This is a vision for the future, so currently, there is no process for purchasing aircraft to replace the F-16.

Since then, a formal announcement for the aircraft has been awaited, especially since the leadership had earlier confirmed that the current F-16 AM/BM fleet would continue to operate until 2030, albeit with rising levels of obsolescence.

However, European policy has undergone a seismic shift since Donald Trump assumed office in January 2025. While dismissing the idea of acquiring an F-35, the Portuguese Defense Minister also hinted that his country was looking towards Europe instead.

Without giving specific details, he said, “There are several options that must be considered, particularly in the context of European production.”

There are currently three European fighter jets (all 4+ generation combat aircraft as opposed to the 5th generation F-35) competing in the global export market: the Eurofighter Typhoon, the French Rafale, and the Saab Gripen-E.

There are murmurs in the defense circle that Portugal could be keen to explore French Rafale fighters. Several European countries, including Greece, Croatia, and Serbia, have bought the aircraft in the last couple of years.

After the Portuguese Defense Minister commented, social media site X was replete with claims that the country would likely explore the option of buying French aircraft. However, when asked whether the Portuguese government might be considering the purchase of French aircraft, Melo stated, “I’m not going to have this discussion here.”

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