The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of 35 Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35A fighters and related equipment to Germany for $8.4 billion.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress on July 28 of the foreign military sale, which would also include 37 Pratt & Whitney [RTX] F135 engines–35 installed and two spares; 105 Raytheon Technologies‘ [RTX] AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM); 75 Lockheed Martin AGM-158B/B2 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles-Extended Range (JASSM-ER); 344 Raytheon GBU-53 StormBreaker Small Diameter Bombs (SDB-II); 162 BLU-109 2,000 pound Hardened Penetrator Bombs for the Boeing [BA] GBU-31; 264 MK-82 500 pound general purpose bombs for the Boeng laser-guided GBU-54; Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition tail kits; and 75 Raytheon AIM-9X Block II+ Tactical Sidewinder Missiles.
“The proposed sale will improve Germany’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing a suitable replacement for Germany’s retiring Tornado aircraft fleet in support of NATO’s nuclear sharing mission, the centerpiece for deterrence in Europe,” DSCA said on July 28.
The U.S. State Department this month also gave the green light to two other foreign military sales to other allied countries in Europe–Norway and Estonia, as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine.