Alarm from the chief of the Luftwaffe: "Europe does not have time - We need American weapons now against Putin"
The chief of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), Lt. Gen. Holger Neumann, is sounding the alarm for European defense, warning that Europe does not have the necessary time to independently develop its military capabilities against Russia and Vladimir Putin, a fact that makes the continuation of purchases of American weapon systems necessary.
In an interview with POLITICO, Holger Neumann argued that Germany must continue to procure combat proven weapon systems, such as the fighter aircraft of the USA, even while Europe attempts to create its own defense industry over a long term horizon.
"We do not have time to wait"
"If the mission of the Air Force or the overall air power of NATO is to be ready as soon as possible, we might need to procure commercially available systems," stated Lt. Gen. Holger Neumann.
As he explained, these specific systems may not fully cover all the operational requirements of Germany, however they still constitute "the best available option for the coming years."
"The development of our own capabilities requires time. Right now we do not have time," he emphasized characteristically.
The European Union pushes for European weapon systems
The statements of the head of the Luftwaffe come at a time when the European Union seeks to direct an increasingly larger share of defense spending toward European companies, limiting the reliance on major American suppliers, as European countries accelerate their armaments with the aim of deterring Russia.
In this context, the EU uses new financial tools in order to encourage joint procurements and to strengthen the industrial defense base of the Union.
At the same time, the new regulations for projects funded by European resources limit the participation of countries outside the European Union, including the United States, to 35% of the total value of each project, a development that has caused strong dissatisfaction among American officials.
However, as pointed out, the strategy of the EU mainly concerns long term planning, at the moment when military needs are characterized by extreme immediacy.
"Europe lags behind in cutting-edge technologies"
Holger Neumann recognized that the European defense industry possesses significant capabilities, however he argued that it did not manage to evolve to the same extent as the United States in the sectors of cutting-edge technology.
As he noted, the goal is to immediately cover the existing operational gaps, without however abandoning the European armaments programs.
The F-35 at the center of Berlin's designs
A characteristic example constitutes the American-made fifth generation fighter Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.
Berlin approved in December 2022 the purchase of 35 F-35A aircraft, of a total value of 8.3 billion euros.
The new fighters will replace the old Tornado in the nuclear weapons transport mission within the framework of the nuclear sharing program of NATO.
According to Neumann, the first German aircraft is expected to roll off the production line in the United States in September, while the first deliveries to the Büchel base, in western Germany, are planned by the end of 2027, following more than one year of training of German pilots in the USA.
New F-35 order on the table
The head of the Luftwaffe revealed that the possibility of purchasing additional F-35 is already being examined within the ranks of the German Air Force.
"There are relevant ideas within the Luftwaffe for the procurement of more F-35. However, the decision belongs to the Ministry of Defense and so far no decision has been taken," he stated.
According to a previous publication of POLITICO, the German government has already committed more than 2 billion euros for the procurement of another 15 aircraft, a fact that will increase the total fleet from 35 to 50 fighters.
The joint European sixth generation fighter "wrecked"
The discussion acquires even greater significance following the decision of Germany and France, in June, to abandon the plans for the joint development of the sixth generation fighter, which constituted the core of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.
The collapse of the cooperation is attributed to the disagreements between Airbus and Dassault regarding the leadership role and the distribution of the work.
Despite this, Holger Neumann clarified that the overall FCAS program has not been permanently terminated.
"The only decision that has been taken is that we will not jointly construct a manned command fighter," he reported.
After 2035 only fifth generation and above fighters
Germany is proceeding in parallel also to a new order of Eurofighter, with the deliveries being scheduled for the period 2031-2034.
However, according to the head of the Luftwaffe, after this order no other fourth generation fighters should be acquired.
"Anything acquired after 2035 will have to belong to the fifth generation or to an even more advanced category," he underlined.
The big question for Europe
Holger Neumann estimated that the definitive solution will have to remain European, either through participation in an already existing program or through the development of a new fighter aircraft in cooperation with partners.
He admitted, however, that neither of the two options seems capable of leading to the production of a new fighter by 2035.
"The question is what will happen in the meantime," he concluded characteristically.
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