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Portugal Drops Plans for F-35 Citing U.S. Political Uncertainty (theaviationist.com)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Trump’s controversial remarks about NATO, questioning member contributions and even suggesting the U.S. might not uphold its defense commitments, as well as the decision to halt the deliveries of weapons as well as the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine following the meeting with Zelensky at the White House, have raised alarms across Europe.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Hang on, I'm pretty sure that refusing to buy American warplanes is illegal. Unfair, at the very least. Some might call it cheating.

/s because some people's children.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago

Portugal hasn't even said thanks once.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

Ooofff he's fucking with the war machine. Let's see how this plays for trump. Lol

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's fine, I'm sure he'll be selling them to Russia before too long.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I doubt Russia would want to buy warplanes with a US kill switch.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Once this kill switch stuff keeps popping up:

https://theaviationist.com/2025/03/10/f-35-kill-switch-myth/

TL;DR: There is no kill switch per se (as in flip it and brick the thing), but a huge dependency on logistics, services and systems that operators outside the US have no influence over. That in turn will cause the plane - while still flyable - to be grounded over time as it cannot be maintained, rearmed and operated effectively anymore.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

At the end the effects are the same of a kill switch

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

The German industrialists thought they could control Hitler in 1933 too.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

What's the alternative? Does the EU produce fighter planes?

If the US can disable another nation's military at the flick of a switch, it probably isn't smart to order anything from them.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They already do. I believe the French have something comparable.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Gripen, Rafael, Eurofighter Typhoon

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

That's just good sense. I wonder if Lockheed will have a mishap with one of their blade missles in the near future...