Germany plans to order 15 more US-made F-35 jets, says source

BERLIN - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius intends to order an additional 15 F-35 fighter jets from U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin, a parliamentary source told Reuters on Monday, confirming a report by Spiegel magazine.

Planners expect the aircraft to cost about 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion), according to confidential documents prepared for parliament's budget committee, the source said.

Another source familiar with the matter confirmed the discussions to buy additional aircraft, without citing a number. The defence ministry in Berlin declined to comment.

Germany has already ordered 35 of the U.S.-made jets to replace its fleet of 85 ageing Tornado fighter jets, which are set to be decommissioned.

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.

In July, Berlin denied plans to acquire an additional 15 F-35 fighter jets, but a significantly expanded defence budget has since created more scope for weapons purchases.

At the time, a military source told Reuters that the idea of acquiring 15 more F-35 jets had been part of earlier discussions.

Any decision to purchase more F-35 aircraft could cause new tensions between Germany and France, which have been at odds over their struggling fighter jet project FCAS, or SCAF in French. REUTERS