The Portuguese Air Force has outlined a new ‘vision’ to replace F-16 jets (pictured) with US F-35s but an acquisition process is not at hand. (Portuguese Air Force on X)
BELFAST — Days after the head of the Portuguese air force suggested he was interested in the F-35 eventually replacing the nation’s F-16 fighters, the government made clear that there are no immediate plans to pursue the Lockheed Martin-made fifth generation fighter.
“This is a vision for the future, so there is currently no process of acquiring aircraft to replace the F-16s,” a spokesperson from the office of Portugal’s defense minister Helena Carreiras told Breaking Defense in a statement today.
Gen. João Cartaxo Alves, chief of staff of the Portuguese Air Force (CEMFA) prompted the question when the spokesperson said Alves “mentioned” to an audience at a military airlift and air refueling conference in Lisbon on Monday that, in the ministry’s words, “the F-35 aircraft appears to be the appropriate aircraft to, in the future, replace the current F-16, similar to the European partner states that migrated from the F- 16 for the F-35.”
As to whether Lisbon is evaluating other aircraft for the job, the spokesperson did not respond to that question.
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There is no reference to a F-35 acquisition or F-16 replacement effort in Portugal’s Military Programming Law (LPM) proposal, setting out major defense acquisitions and long-term national defense spending, approved by the country’s Council of Ministers in March 2023.
This latest LPM program allocates spending of €5.5 billion ($6 billion) until 2034 and prioritizes eight major acquisitions, headed by a new Close Support Aircraft program and other projects already underway including orders for Embraer KC-390 Millennium tanker transport aircraft and six additional Viana do Castelo-class ocean patrol ships.
If Portugal did want to pursue the F-35, discussions with the US would be a first step. A US State Department official told Breaking Defense, “We’re not able to disclose the private diplomatic conversations that partners have with us concerning their procurement choices,” referring further comment to the Portuguese government and the F-35 program office.
Should an F-35 acquisition eventually go ahead, however, Portugal would follow behind a host of European nations like Belgium, Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands to replace F-16 fleets with the Joint Strike Fighter.
Romania is also close to joining that group, after committing to a $6.5 billion acquisition for 32 aircraft in September.
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