Euractiv.com with AFP Est. 3min 26-10-2018 US President Donald J. Trump talks to Chairman, President and CEO of Lockheed Martin Marillyn Hewson and Director and Chief Test Pilot Alan Norman in front of an F-35 fighter jet during the 2018 Made in America Product Showcase at the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 23 July 2018. [Pool/EPA/EFE] Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Belgium said Thursday (25 October) it had chosen to buy US-made F-35 stealth warplanes over the Eurofighter Typhoon, which critics call a blow to the EU’s bid to build its own defences. In a multi-billion-euro deal with Lockheed Martin, the Belgian government said it would buy 34 radar-evading F-35s to replace its ageing US-made F-16s, from 2023. Official: Belgium to buy US F-35 stealth fighter jets https://t.co/N3s1czHCXR#Defense #AirForce #Defence #BelgianDefence #F35 #F16 #USA pic.twitter.com/7iX2L3dqfC — Belgian Defence News (@BelgianDefence) October 25, 2018 Critics called the decision “very bad news” for a more autonomous EU defence strategy, which got a boost after Brexit and US President Donald Trump’s election. Lockheed Martin said it looked forward to ties with “the Belgian government and industry for decades to come,” according to a statement on its Twitter feed. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel sought to head off his critics when he said Belgium was looking to both Europe and the United States to meet its defence needs. Belgium is also buying drones, frigates, minesweepers and armoured vehicles “within the framework of NATO and European defence,” Michel told a news conference. “The planes and drones are American, the other equipment is European and Belgium will enjoy the economic benefits,” Michel added, Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said the US offer “was the best from the price and operational standpoint.” The F-35 ran against a bid from the Eurofighter, developed by a European consortium that also comprises Italy’s Finmeccanica and Airbus. Belgium offered sweetener to pick up Eurofighter Belgium is being offered a possible role in future European combat jet developments if it picks the Eurofighter Typhoon over the US-built F-35, in a fierce contest to rearm the country’s air force, a senior official with Britain’s BAE Systems said. Jean-Dominique Giuliani, who heads the Robert Schuman Foundation, a European think-tank, lamented the decision. “It’s not a European choice. It’s worse than a slap, it is dreadful for European defence,” Giuliani told AFP. “It is very bad news.” The F-35 requires a whole maintenance and operational system that depends “on the control of the United States,” he added. “Muddy the waters” Marking a move away from Europe’s decades-long reliance on the United States for its defence, Brussels last year launched “permanent structured cooperation on defence”, known as PESCO. EU defence ministers hold ‘historic’ first meeting in PESCO format EU defence ministers yesterday (6 March) held their first meeting in the ‘PESCO format’. This means that, although ministers from all EU member states were present, only those participating in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) pact were involved in adopting legal acts. The aim was to unify European defence thinking and to rationalise a fragmented approach to buying and developing military equipment. France was also likely to be unhappy with the decision. The United States, acting on behalf of the F-35, and Britain, pushing for the Eurofighter, responded formally to the bidding process Belgium launched in March 2017. However, the French government took a different tack in September last year by proposing “in-depth cooperation” with the Belgian air force in additon to supplying Rafale fighters, built by the French firm Dassault. Defence Minister Steven Vandeput said France had ruled itself out with its approach. “We regret that France voluntarily withdrew from its obligation to present a bid in the framework of our transparent competitive process,” he said. Christophe Wasinski, professor of international relations at ULB University in Brussels, said the announcement of plans to buy 400 French armoured vehicles amounted to government spin. “It sought to muddy the waters by saying it would buy not just American materiel when the star of these purchases is in fact the F-35,” Wasinksi said. According to Pentagon figures earlier this month, 320 F-35s have been delivered globally, mainly to the US but also to Israel and Britain. US welcomes the decision by the Gov of Belgium to purchase the F-35 fighter aircraft. Belgium will fly @thef35 alongside some of its closest @NATO allies & longtime partners in air defense. US is extremely proud of our enduring air partnership w/ Belgium. #USinBE @BelgiumDefence https://t.co/PcPWAPYSqP — US Embassy Brussels (@usembbrussels) October 25, 2018 Belgium to buy U.S. F-35 fighters instead of Eurofighter Typhoon in blow to EU defense plan https://t.co/b4EIe05kxT pic.twitter.com/3UpYcuKYKW — The Japan Times (@japantimes) October 26, 2018 The Belgian government selected the #F35 to replace its F-16 aircraft, building on a 40-year defense partnership with @LockheedMartin. We’re excited to bring unrivaled capability and industrial benefits to Belgium. More here: https://t.co/7hmQFO4T9Q pic.twitter.com/biVcXwPYHl — F-35 Lightning II (@thef35) October 25, 2018 Read more with Euractiv Austria calls for EU-wide halt in arms sales to Saudi ArabiaThe European Union should halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl told a German newspaper, saying such action could also help end "the terrible war in Yemen".