Portugal seriously considers US F-35 jets along with other options

Portugal will ​decide on a replacement of ​its ageing fleet ‌of ​F-16 jet fighters based on national interests and is seriously considering ‌the US offer of F-35s along with other options, Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said on Thursday after meeting US Secretary ‌of State Marco Rubio in Lisbon. Portugal has yet to ‌launch a formal tender to replace its 28 upgraded F-16M fighter jets, but competition is already tense for a deal that ⁠would ​deepen Lisbon's ⁠defence ties with either European or US partners.

"The Portuguese state will ⁠always decide in accordance with the national interest. There ​is one point that is also clear: we are ⁠seriously considering the F-35 proposal, just as we are considering others," ⁠Rangel ​told a news conference after the meeting. Lockheed Martin's F-35, widely seen by defence analysts as the leading ⁠contender, faces competition from the Eurofighter Typhoon, manufactured by Airbus, ⁠Britain's ⁠BAE Systems and Italy's Leonardo, as well as from Dassault Aviation's Rafale and Saab's Gripen ‌E.