Rheinmetall to Produce F-35 Center Fuselage
Lockheed Martin announced that Rheinmetall will be producing center fuselage sections for the F-35. This comes on the heels of Germany’s purchase of 35 A model F-35s in December of last year for some 8.3 billion euros. The aircraft will be replacing the Luftwaffe’s Tornado fleet and will dramatically increase the service’s abilities against advanced air defenses. Germany has avoided buying the F-35 for many years while nations like the Netherlands, Italy, and the UK have been a part of the Joint Strike Fighter program since the 1990s.
After being dependent on US fighter aircraft like the F-104 Starfighter and F-4 Phantom II, Germany pursued independence by joining European projects like the Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon. With Tornado now reaching retirement a replacement was needed and in a shocking move, Germany originally sought to purchase Boeing F/A-18s and EA-18s which were 4th generation aircraft like the Eurofighter. Choosing the Super Hornet suggested that Germany refused to accept that the 5th generation F-35 had outpaced anything Europe had to offer. With the invasion of Ukraine rattling the continent Germany finally relented and signed on for the F-35, but also is upgrading the Eurofighter for the electronic warfare mission. Offering industrial partnerships will certainly reduce the sting.
Currently, Northrop Grumman is subcontracted to produce center fuselages for Lockheed Martin’s F-35. Originally Turkey was to be a second source of this section but with the country’s ousting from the F-35 program in 2019, Northrop Grumman was left as the sole producer. Adding Rheinmetall as a second source reduces pressure in the very complex F-35 supply chain. This chain already includes BAE Systems in the UK, Leonardo in Italy, IAI in Israel, GKN Fokker in the Netherlands, and several others. Distributing the manufacturing makes purchasing a foreign aircraft more palatable but can also reduce costs by taking advantage of diverse manufacturing expertise.
The F-35A will allow Germany to confront any Russian aircraft from a position of advantage including the Su-57. Germany will use the F-35 to take over the Tornado’s nuclear delivery role where its stealthy characteristics will serve to increase deterrence against unacceptable actions.