*BRUSSELS – Belgium said Thursday it had chosen to buy US-made F-35 stealthwarplanes over the Eurofighter Typhoon, which critics call a blow to theEU´s bid to build its own defences.*
In a multi-billion-euro deal with Lockheed Martin, the Belgian governmentsaid it would buy 34 radar-evading F-35s to replace its ageing US-madeF-16s, from 2023.
Critics called the decision “very bad news” for a more autonomous EUdefence strategy, which got a boost after Brexit and US President DonaldTrump´s election.
Lockheed Martin said it looked forward to ties with “the Belgian governmentand industry for decades to come,” according to a statement on its Twitterfeed.
Belgian Prime Minsiter Charles Michel sought to head off his critics whenhe said Belgium was looking to both Europe and the United States to meetits defence needs.
Belgium is also buying drones, frigates, minesweepers and armoured vehicles”within the framework of NATO and European defence,” Michel told a newsconference.
“The planes and drones are American, the other equipment is European andBelgium will enjoy the economic benefits,” Michel added,
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Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said the US offer “was the best from theprice and operational standpoint.”
The F-35 ran against a bid from the Eurofighter, developed by a Europeanconsortium that also comprises Italy´s Finmeccanica and Airbus.
Jean-Dominique Giuliani, who heads the Robert Schuman Foundation, aEuropean think-tank, lamented the decision.
“It´s not a European choice. It´s worse than a slap, it is dreadful forEuropean defence,” Giuliani told AFP. “It is very bad news.”
The F-35 requires a whole maintenance and operational system that depends”on the control of the United States,” he added. – APP/AFP
