Following Donald Trump’s US president, the country’s foreign policy, which became a chaotic, begins to open deep wounds. Portugal has suspended the supply of F-35 planned due to recent policy changes of the US government. Although the Air Force proposes the acquisition of F-35s, the Defense Minister Nuno Melo, who left the post, said in a statement that the government was evaluating European-made jets instead.

Melo, Portugal media, said in a statement, the predictable of the Allies is a critical factor in defense supply decisions, emphasizing, “We can not ignore the geopolitical environment in our elections,” he said.

The weather in the sky is cool

It is concerned that the Trump administration, which says that it will annex Greenland and threaten Canada, can limit the software updates and spare parts access to make F-35 fully operating.

“The world has changed … And this allies … Usage, maintenance, components and the aircraft to be operational and use in all kinds of scenario can bring limitations to everything that can bring limitations, Mel Melo said, adding the following; “There are various options that should be taken into consideration in the context of European production.”

In this context, options such as Eurofighter Typhoon and French Dassault Rafale may stand out. Some analysts argue that the European defense industry should be strengthened and think that Trump’s attitude can accelerate this process. On the other hand, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Breekelmans announced that his country would not cancel the F-35 contract.

However, Portugal has not yet reached a final agreement. While Portugal discusses modernizing the existing F-16 fleet or switching to an alternative fighter platform platform, the early election process may affect the course of this decision. However, at least 10 European countries have F-35s and Lockheed Martin has an industrial partnership in six European countries. The company defines F-35 as “NATO’s standard hunter aircraft”.