Germany Asks for Boeing Fighter Data

Germany wants to replace its Tornado strike fighters by 2025, but looking outside the EU for a replacement will do nothing for European defense, and previous-generation US fighters will do little for Luftwaffe’s strike capability. (Wikipedia photo)

BERLIN --- Germany has asked the U.S. military for classified data on two Boeing fighter jets as it looks to replace its ageing Tornado warplanes from 2025, giving a boost to the U.S. company locked in a trade dispute with Canada and Britain.

A letter sent by the German defence ministry’s planning division, reviewed by Reuters, said it had identified Boeing’s F-15 and F/A-18E/F fighters as potential candidates to replace the Tornado jets, which entered service in 1981.

A classified briefing is expected to take place in mid-November, following a similar briefing provided by U.S. officials about the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet in July.

The ministry has said it is also seeking information from European aerospace giant Airbus, which builds the Eurofighter Typhoon along with Britain’s BAE Systems and Italy’s Leonardo.

The development is a boost for Boeing at a time when it is under fire from Canada and Britain after its complaint prompted the United States to impose a preliminary 220-percent duty on CSeries jets built by Bombardier.

Boeing said it was working with the U.S. government to provide the information that Germany had requested. (end of excerpt)

Click here for the full story, on the Reuters website.

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