Cost of Upgrading German Air Base for F-35s to Rise to Nearly €2B – Media

The cost of reconfiguring a German air base for fifth-generation F-35A fighter jets is set to rise to nearly €2 billion, Evropeyska Pravda reported citing Der Spiegel article.

According to the article, the Federal Ministry of Defence of Germany has asked the Bundestag’s budget committee to approve an additional €644 million to fund infrastructure upgrades at Büchel Air Base.

The newly acquired U.S.-made jets are scheduled to be stationed here from 2027.

Including the new request, the total cost of the project would rise to €1.948 billion.

The Bundeswehr initially estimated the cost of the upgrades at around €700 million, but the figure has grown significantly over time.

The Defense Ministry says additional funding is the only viable option, warning that without it, the necessary infrastructure for flight operations will not be ready on schedule.

Roughly a third of the added costs stem from the need to hire more personnel to speed up the work, the complexity of construction at altitude, and specific challenges at the site. Rising prices for building materials have also contributed.

Der Spiegel writes that with this request, the Bundeswehr is implicitly acknowledging serious miscalculations in what is considered a flagship €10 billion defense procurement. From the start, there had been doubts over whether the air base could be modernized in such a short timeframe.

Then Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had repeatedly said the project was on schedule. The ministry now maintains that the extra funds are essential to ensure the first F-35 flights take place on time.

Germany’s F-35 program

Germany has ordered 35 American-made F-35A Lightning II fighters from Lockheed Martin.

Under current plans, the first aircraft will be stationed in 2026 at the Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas, where German pilots and technicians will receive training.