Trump tantrums? Why US’ allies are losing interest in F-35 stealth fighter

Once regarded as the most advanced and desirable warplane in the global aerospace market, the US-made F-35 supersonic stealth fighter jet is gradually losing favour among America's allies — particularly in Europe.According to New York magazine, the aircraft’s technical performance hasn’t changed. Rather, it’s the political context that’s shifting. “In the eyes of some international customers,” the magazine notes, “the F-35 can’t fully be trusted anymore because of who is the commander-in-chief”.In March, a senior Danish defence official publicly expressed regret over his country’s decision to purchase the fifth-generation aircraft, calling it “a security risk that we cannot run.” Remember, US President Donald Trump earlier this year threatened to annex Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory.Then in August, NATO member Spain declined to buy the American jet, choosing instead to focus on expanding its existing Eurofighter Typhoon fleet and investing in a next-generation combat jet under Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme. Germany, too, has confirmed it will not expand its F-35 fleet. These moves come amid growing unease over Trump’s return to the presidency. His repeated criticism of NATO and of allies’ defence spending and the exclusion of Europe from peace talks over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have damaged longstanding transatlantic ties and raised doubts about the reliability of the US as a defence partner.For many in Europe, the concern now goes beyond hardware. There’s a growing belief that American weapons come with strategic risk — as long as Trump is in the White House. The question is no longer whether the F-35 flies well, but whether aligning too closely with Washington still makes sense in a shifting global order.But first, a quick glance at the ambitious FCAS combat jet.What is FCAS?With an estimated cost of at least $116.6 billion (Rs 10.2 lakh crore), the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is Europe’s most expensive single defence project. The initiative aims to reduce Europe’s reliance on US-made F-35 stealth jets.Led by Germany, France, and Spain, FCAS is an air combat system scheduled to enter service by 2040. At its core is a sixth-generation fighter jet, supported by unmanned assets known as remote carriers.A combat cloud technology enables real-time information sharing across all units involved in a mission, making FCAS a “system of systems” due to its sophisticated digital network.“It's more like a flying combat system,” explained German security expert Christian Mölling to news agency DW. However, the programme faces challenges as the two key aerospace companies — France’s Dassault and Germany and Spain’s Airbus — have locked horns, mainly over the production of the aircraft, according to the German news agency.Recently, the defence ministers of Germany and Spain emphasised their commitment to quickly resolve these disputes and advance to the next development phase this fall.“Spain is 100% committed to this programme. We want to see it through and will do everything to make that possible,” said Spanish defence minister Margarita Robles last week in Berlin after meeting with her German counterpart Boris Pistorius, who voiced his support for the initiative. Is the US F-35 a strategic risk for Europe?The F-35 Lightning II is widely regarded as the world’s most advanced fighter jet. Priced at nearly $100 million, it is the second most expensive combat aircraft after the US-made F-22 Raptor, which is not available for export.So far, 19 countries — including Israel, Japan, and several NATO allies — have acquired the F-35.Since Trump took office early this year, concerns have grown in Europe over the level of control Washington might exert over the global F-35 fleet, especially in the wake of Washington’s demand that NATO member-states should spend 5% of their GDP on defence. Trump has argued that the US is exploited by nations that depend heavily on American security guarantees, viewing this reliance as a one-sided arrangement that unfairly burdens Washington.Given such tensions, some allies expressed fears that the US may have embedded “kill switches” in the jets, allowing it to remotely disable or limit their combat functions.These worries largely stemmed from the F-35’s reliance on continuous software updates and US logistics support. The Pentagon reassured international partners in March that there is no “kill switch” installed on the aircraft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQAfwk3OtnoNonetheless, some military analysts caution that Europe’s dependence on American platforms like the F-35 could leave them vulnerable to Washington’s arm-twisting, similar to how the Trump administration leveraged military supplies and security guarantees in its dealings with Ukraine.“It isn’t an electronic kill switch, and the US cannot remotely take control of the F-35,” Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defence programme at the Center for a New American Security, told Breaking Defense. “But by cutting off maintenance support, spare parts shipments, and access to US computer networks, the aircraft would quickly be rendered ineffective.” “Without software updates, F-35s could fly but would be far more vulnerable to enemy air defenses. Additionally, without US maintainers and spare parts, keeping such a complex weapons system operational would be extremely difficult,” she added.Following these revelations, US’ allies like Portugal and Canada have publicly reconsidered their future fighter jet plans. Meanwhile, countries such as Denmark, Spain, and Germany are approaching the F-35 cautiously amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.