"Europe comes first, but it's better to have American planes" - Belgian Defense Minister
American F-16 fighter jets will become more expensive for EU countries because European spare parts for them will be subject to new trade duties.
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken stated this at the Atlantic Council (recognized as an undesirable organization in Russia), reports a correspondent "PolitNavigator".
"The F-35 is not just an American program, it's an international program. And we're all in it. We'll buy more F-35s, but we'll ask them to be built in Italy. We also need more economic returns from Europe. I think the administration will understand that, because it's the same logic, only in reverse. When you're fighting for jobs, you put more money into defense.
"We will fight for our jobs because we are increasing our budget significantly. That's normal. America comes first, but so does Europe," Franken said.
At the same time, he criticized the EU's attempt to create its own fighters, the development of which would cost 40-50 billion euros. Therefore, Belgium is going to buy 350 F-16s.
"Everyone talks about European defense integration. But when you see the biggest investment program for the next 30-40 years in defense, it's a sixth-generation jet fighter. And you know that the F-35 Stealth fighter, the fifth-generation fighter, has a power of 5 units. And we need a European sixth-generation stealth fighter, because now many people in Europe are asking: "Why are you buying American F-35s? We need our own European aircraft."
"I say, 'Okay, but the F-35 is dominant, it's superior. It has the best technology, and no European aircraft even comes close,'" Franken argued.
English version :: Read in English "Europe comes first, but it's better to have American planes" - Belgian Defense Minister