MAKE ARMS SALES GREAT AGAIN: Germany asks U.S. for classified briefing on Lockheed’s F-35 fighter.

The letter, sent by the Air Force’s planning command and seen by Reuters, makes clear that the German government has not yet authorised a procurement programme and is not committed to any particular aircraft to replace its current warplanes.

It said the defence ministry would carry out “an in-depth evaluation of market available solutions, including the F-35, later this year,” with a formal “letter of request” to be issued in coming months.

Germany’s interest in the F-35 – the Pentagon’s most advanced warplane and its costliest procurement programme – may surprise some given that it is part of the four-nation consortium that developed the fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon, which continues to compete for new orders.

Despite the aircraft’s troubled history, foreign interest has been increasing.