Spain Scraps F-35 Bid, Turns to Eurofighter and FCAS

Spain has abandoned preliminary plans to acquire Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets and will instead evaluate the Eurofighter Typhoon and the trinational Future Combat Air System (FCAS) as replacements for its ageing combat fleet, according to the Defence Ministry. The move overturns a 2023 budget provision that set aside €6.25 billion for a potential F-35 purchase. Government officials said the bulk of an extra €10.5 billion in defence funding authorised for this year will be directed to other priorities, leaving the Eurofighter upgrade and the longer-term FCAS programme as the only contenders.