Allies, In Jab at Trump, Threaten Not to Buy F-35s

Spain, in the wake of a row with Washington over NATO’s new 5 percent defense spending goal, ditched its multibillion-dollar purchase of the stealthy F-35 fighter jet. Switzerland, reeling from steep US tariffs, is facing increasing pressure across the political spectrum to drop plans for its own F-35 war planes. And India, frustrated at higher US prices on its goods, has reportedly decided to pause efforts to buy American combat vehicles, Politico reported.

The moves — all made in the past two weeks — show the potential consequences of Trump’s economic actions as they reverberate through allied capitals, forcing governments to reassess their defense ties with the United States. They also reinforce American industry fears that this new form of protectionism will spark retaliation, jeopardize arms sales and chip away at America’s dominance as the globe’s top defense supplier.

While most allies aren’t rushing to pull out of long-planned purchases, the recent actions by the three countries show growing pockets of resistance, and some of the most concrete pushback yet, to Trump’s global trade maneuvers.

The tariffs are “a big middle finger” to allies the US has urged for years to buy American equipment, said Jim Townsend, a former Pentagon official who oversaw Europe and NATO policy. “All of these nations feel bruised by the United States.”

The F-35, made by Lockheed Martin, is especially vulnerable to this sort of economic turbulence. Its parts come from more than 100 suppliers around the world, and big overseas orders help keep the price of each jet down. If countries pull out or cut back, costs go up for everyone. The combined price tag for Spain’s and Switzerland’s F-35 orders was about $15 billion for several dozen planes each.

Spain’s decision not to pursue the F-35 could steer billions toward the Eurofighter Typhoon — made by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain — and the Franco-German Future Combat Air System, a next-generation stealth fighter and drone system slated for the 2040s. Spanish officials cited the need for industrial sovereignty, stronger European supply chains and more reliable partners.

Such moves are also politically useful from some European countries. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s response appeals to the government’s left-leaning base, according to a senior EU official granted anonymity to discuss sensitive political dynamics.

“For Sanchez, it’s just very convenient to play Trump’s victim,” the person said.

The Swiss deal to buy 36 F-35 jets squeaked through a 2021 referendum with just over 50 percent support, and new tariffs reignited the political fight. Swiss lawmakers pushed to cancel the purchase when US tariffs hit 39 percent, but the government on Wednesday reaffirmed its intent to buy the jets and ordered a review. A decision is due in November. Swiss officials said they can’t pin down a final price because the US has not agreed to one, leaving the contract open to swings in inflation, higher raw material costs and customs duties — which could add as much as $1.6 billion.

Other prospective buyers, such as Portugal, have delayed decisions amid doubts over US reliability.

Lockheed Martin noted that the United Kingdom, Denmark and Belgium have each recently announced their intent to buy at least 10 F-35s.

“Foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions, and this matter is best addressed by the US or country governments,” Lockheed spokesperson Jacqueline Lorenzetti said.

The White House defended Trump’s tariffs as an economic boon and noted that he pushed NATO’s defense spending pledge to 5 percent of GDP, which is expected to benefit US arms makers.

“President Trump has done more to support America’s military industrial base than any president in decades — including by selling American-made weapons to NATO allies, which will generate billions of dollars for American companies,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said.

The loss of orders from Spain or even Switzerland would have little immediate impact on production, according to one former Pentagon official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. Those aircraft wouldn’t reach the line for more than a year, and other customers could easily step in to take their place.

But any sustained loss of foreign buyers could push prices higher across the fleet. That risk is piling pressure onto a problem that’s already hitting the F-35 program. Officials are rebuilding the Buchel Air Base in Germany — home to part of the country’s nuclear mission under NATO — to host more than three dozen F-35s. The price tag has jumped from $1.5 billion to nearly $2.3 billion.

Trump’s mix of tariffs and public browbeating is also fueling the continent’s “Make in Europe” ambitions for weapons. But many European officials caution that in the short term, the EU’s defense industry is a long way from producing all the arms needed to replace US-made hardware, meaning any shift toward self-reliance would have to be gradual.

The repercussions could go much further than Europe. India, Reuters reported, is delaying US arms purchases, including Stryker combat vehicles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, following Trump’s decision to double tariffs on Indian goods to 50 percent over its purchases of Russian oil. Indian officials denied the report as “false and fabricated,” but the story highlights rising tensions.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to the tariffs by publicly reaffirming India’s “special and privileged strategic partnership” with Moscow.

Billions of dollars’ worth of arms deals are in the US government’s foreign military sales pipeline for New Delhi, making an Indian pullback challenging.

“We’ve worked for more than a decade to strengthen our relationship with India,” said former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who led the US-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative in the Obama administration. “Slapping those huge tariffs on India is going to have very negative impacts on the relationship.”

But supply chains for weapons are tricky and more nuanced than some of these decisions suggest. That’s especially true for the F-35, a sixth-generation fighter jet that stands out for its stealth, advanced sensors and versatility.

“Even if there’s a new administration, Republican or Democrat, that wants to repair all this horrible damage, it’s going to take a long time to recover trust,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, a US -based consulting firm for the defense industry. “And this is an industry built on trust.”