German Defense Minister: There is no alternative to the F-35, and canceling the contract will damage relations with the US.

Boris Pistorius, the German Minister of Defense, stated that currently there is no alternative to the US F-35 aircraft, and canceling the contract may damage relations with the US.

Pistorius said in an interview with the German magazine "Der Spiegel", "I don't know which country would refuse a contract to procure F-35 aircraft, and I think this is correct."

He pointed out that the F-35 is a multinational project involving eight countries, including five European countries. He noted that 14 NATO countries are currently using or planning to use the F-35. Some parts are produced outside the United States, such as airframe parts manufactured in Germany.

Pistorius emphasized, "No one can deny that this contract has certain uncertainties. But now withdrawing from the contract and creating alternatives would cost billions of dollars. Moreover, this would lead to a rupture in relations with the US, and we want to maintain our relationship with the US. Furthermore, we do not have other aircraft to participate in NATO's joint nuclear missions."

According to experts of the German Federal Armed Forces, the German defense minister stated that the F-35 aircraft does not have any "switches" embedded. Pistorius added that even if the Americans did so, they would thereby limit their own nuclear capabilities in Europe, and trust in the US defense industry would be lost.

Previously, Christian Democratic Union MP Roderich Kiesewetter called for revising the contract due to concerns that Washington might remotely "disable" the aircraft, similar to what happened with the HIMARS multiple rocket launchers supplied to Ukraine, which had their target acquisition and interception functions disabled.

Volker Münchau, former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, also stated that if Washington dared to embed a remote "emergency switch," Germany might tear up its contract with the US to purchase 35 US F-35A aircraft. Later, the German Ministry of Defense denied the possibility of remotely disabling the F-35A aircraft.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829109683741827/

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