Last month, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken set out the government’s Strategic Defence Plan for 2026-34, revealing that Belgium would buy a further 11 F-35 fighter jets to add to the 34 it has already purchased.
Given recent transatlantic trade tensions, some have questioned the wisdom of the decision to hand such an important and lucrative contract to Lockheed Martin, a US-owned company.
Senior representatives of the French defence industry have done little to hide their displeasure over the announcement. They would have preferred Belgium to buy the French-made Rafale fighter jets instead.
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