Portugal has taken an important step in the process of renewing its aging fleet of F-16A/B fighter jets, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Airbus Defence & Space and the Portuguese Aerospace and Defence Industry Cluster (AED Cluster Portugal). This MoU is the first official indication of Portugal’s preference for a European solution for its next generation fighter aircraft.
In its official statement, Airbus summarised the purpose of the agreement as identifying opportunities for cooperation ahead of the upcoming fleet renewal in the country. Within the framework of this MoU, the company aims to initiate a series of studies to create a valuable industrial proposition to offer Portugal “a truly European solution, the Eurofighter programme”.
From F-35 Decision to European Solutions
Portugal initially planned to replace its F-16 fleet with F-35A fighter jets manufactured by US Lockheed Martin. However, these plans are now in the process of being re-evaluated, not least because of the political positions adopted by the US government towards some European countries earlier in the year.
In an interview with the Portuguese media Público, the then Portuguese Defence Minister Nuno Melo made this clear, pointing out the geopolitical factors that influenced his decisions:
“We cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices. The recent US position in the NATO context should prompt us to think about the best options, because the predictability of our allies is a greater asset to be taken into account.”
This statement shows that Portugal has started to prioritise security of supply and allied predictability in its defence procurement.
Rafale Option on the Table
Portugal, which started to question the F-35A option due to the US attitude, does not only have Eurofighter on the table. French aviation giant Dassault Aviation also stepped in to fill this gap.
Last March, Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier had expressed his intention to offer the Rafale fighter jet to Portugal in an interview with Portuguese media. Trappier confirmed that he saw Portugal as a logical partner for the future because of its membership of NATO and the EU.
Although the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Airbus and AED is considered the first official step in the Eurofighter procurement process, this agreement covers more industrial cooperation. Therefore, it is not clear at the moment whether Portugal will prefer Eurofighter or Rafale to replace the F-16s.
This process is an important example showing that European countries are turning more towards European defence industry solutions in their strategic procurement decisions.
