Spain shelves plans to buy F-35 fighter jets from US: Local media

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - Spain has shelved plans to buy F-35 fighter jets from the US, Spanish daily El Pais reported Wednesday, citing government sources.

Spain has officially put on hold plans to acquire the US-made F-35 Lightning II fighter jets for its armed forces, according to government sources.

Preliminary talks with US defense company Lockheed Martin have been suspended indefinitely, despite earlier signs of interest and budgetary allocations.

In April, the Spanish government approved a €10.471 billion ($12.126 billion) defense spending plan and reaffirmed its commitment to allocate 2% of its GDP to defense and security.

However, Madrid's decision to channel 85% of these funds toward European-made military systems has reportedly rendered the procurement of the US-made aircraft "incompatible" with national defense priorities.