The recent shift in US policy towards NATO has led the Portuguese defence minister to suggest that a potential F-35 procurement is unlikely.
In an interview with Portuguese media outlet Público published on 13 March 2025, Portuguese Defence Minister Nuno Melo dismissed the possibility of ordering the fifth-generation fighter jet, joining other European nations in rethinking their defence procurement strategy.
Nuno Melo said; “The world has already changed. There were elections in the US, there was a position in relation to NATO and the world, stated by the Secretary of Defense and by the US President himself, which must also be taken into account in Europe and in what concerns Portugal.
Defense Minister added that Portugal would prefer to replace its aging F-16 fleet with a European jeat instead of F-35, from which they ordered 28 units.
Besides Trump’s unreliable policies, Portugal fears that U.S. may put limitations on foreign-operated F-35s, including the withholding of software upgrades—managed by the U.S. There is also the fear of of kill switch, a mechanism enabling US to disable F35s remotely.
