First German F-35 rolls off the line

A shot of Germany's first F-35. (Lockheed Martin)

WASHINGTON — German and US officials celebrated the rollout of Berlin’s first F-35 in a ceremony today, with both sides praising the moment as a sign of the close defense alignment between the two partners.

At an event held at Lockheed Martin’s Ft. Worth, Texas, facility, Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius called the jet “living proof” of the health of the transatlantic relationship, and an “important step towards further strengthening collective deterrence and defense.”

Turning to look at the F-35, Pistorius called it “a promise that Germany will step up to defend itself and defend its allies.”

Dan Zimmerman, who is performing the duties of the US deputy undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, echoed those comments. “Germany has proven itself a model ally, and their procurement of the F-35 is no exception,” he said, noting it “reinforces our shared vision for defense in the European theater.”

For years, it appeared unlikely that Germany would ever get the F-35. However, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Berlin signed a $8.8 billion deal in 2022 for 35 of the stealthy jets . There is talk of a follow-on order , especially in light of the collapse this year of the Franco-German-Spanish sixth-gen FCAS program.

According to a statement from Lockheed, the first eight German aircraft will head to Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas in the fall to start pilot training, with the first German F-35s actually arriving in country in “late 2027.”

“As Germany prepares to take ownership of its first F-35A, we are proud to build on more than 50 years of partnership and deliver a capability that will strengthen European security and support the Luftwaffe for decades to come,” said OJ Sanchez, president of Lockheed’s aeronautics division, in a company statement.

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The rollout comes days after Pistorius visited the Pentagon and met with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. While there have been political clouds between Washington and Berlin, both men did their best to stress that military ties remain strong, and signed a “Statement of Intent to significantly intensify defense-industrial collaboration,” according to a Pentagon readout.

德国首架F-35战斗机的照片。（洛克希德·马丁公司）

华盛顿——今天，德国和美国官员举行仪式，庆祝柏林首架F-35战斗机的下线。双方都称赞这一时刻标志着两国紧密的防务合作。

在德克萨斯州沃斯堡洛克希德·马丁公司举行的一次活动中，德国国防部长鲍里斯·皮斯托里乌斯称这架喷气式飞机是跨大西洋关系健康的“活生生的证明”，也是“进一步加强集体威慑和防御的重要一步”。

皮斯托瑞斯转头看向F-35，称其为“德国将挺身而出保卫自身及其盟友的承诺”。

代理美国负责采购和保障的副国务卿丹·齐默尔曼也表达了类似的观点。他说：“德国已经证明自己是模范盟友，他们采购F-35战机也不例外。”他还指出，这“强化了我们在欧洲战区共同的防务愿景”。

多年来，德国似乎不太可能获得F-35战机。然而，在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰之后，柏林于2022年签署了一份价值88亿美元的合同，订购35架这种隐形战机。鉴于今年法德西联合研制的第六代未来空中作战系统（FCAS）项目宣告失败，有传言称德国可能会追加订单。

根据洛克希德公司的一份声明，首批八架德国飞机将于秋季前往阿肯色州埃宾空军国民警卫队基地开始飞行员训练，首批德国 F-35 战机将于“2027 年底”抵达美国。

洛克希德航空部门总裁 OJ Sanchez 在一份公司声明中表示：“随着德国准备接收其首架 F-35A，我们很自豪能够巩固超过 50 年的合作伙伴关系，并提供一种能够加强欧洲安全并在未来几十年内支持德国空军的能力。”

欧洲的军事优势取决于其对实际情况的主权掌控。

随着北约和欧洲各国政府加快对天基情报的投资，决策优势将取决于主权能力和商业能力能够多快地融合到一个可信的作战图景中。

就在皮斯托瑞斯访问五角大楼并与美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯会晤几天后，这项合作正式启动。尽管华盛顿和柏林之间存在一些政治阴云，但根据五角大楼发布的消息，两人都尽力强调两国军事关系依然牢固，并签署了一份“旨在大幅加强国防工业合作的意向声明”。