Germany selects Boeing F-18
From 2017, the German government has been actively looking to replace its fleet of aging Panavia Tornado aircraft that entered service in the 1970s and are too old to participate in NATO missions. As part of NATO nuclear sharing, participating countries must operate at least one type of aircraft capable of carrying one of the estimated 190 US B61 nuclear bombs stockpiled on German soil.This agreement negotiated secretly during the Cold War was meant for a quicker response to any nuclear threat coming from Russia. Back in October 2018, it was presented as one of the criteria that oriented the choice of the Belgian authorities to replace the F-16 with the Lockheed Martin F-35 instead of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Until recently the Panavia Tornado was the designated aircraft of the Luftwaffe (German air force) for NATO nuclear capabilities.The previous German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen had openly favoured a European choice such as the Typhoon. In June 2018, an official request was sent to the US authorities to determine the costs and timeframe required for the aircraft to be able to carry out nuclear missions.
The German newspaper Der Spiegel accessed a report from the Ministry of Defence stating that the 93 Panavia Tornados currently in use by the Luftwaffe require more urgent modernisation than planned. The aircraft entered service in the 1970s and their outdated internals could now compromise their use during a NATO operation. But the request seemingly fell through. Some argue that the certification of the Typhoon, which would require from three to five years longer than the F/A-18 Super Hornet, was too long as the German Tornados are set to retire by 2025 at the latest. Others claim the United States simply refused to comply.
Whatever the truth is, Germany is now moving forward. In addition to 90 Airbus Eurofighter Typhoons, it will order 30 F/A-18 Super Hornets for its nuclear capacity, whilst 15 of the variants for electronic warfare, the EA-18G Growler. According to Der Spiegel, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer officially informed the American government of the decision on 16 April 2020. However, the order is yet to be approved by the Bundestag and already critics are voiced: the chairman of the Bundestag’s defence committee, the Social Democrat Wolfgang Hellmich, criticised the minister’s ‘lack of transparency’ and considered that for now, no decision could be taken.