Citing economic returns and strategic autonomy objectives, Belgium suggests moving the manufacture of more F-35As to Italy’s FACO site.
In an April 14, 2025 interview with Het Laatste Nieuws, Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken stated the government has formally asked its future Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter fighters to be built in Italy instead of the United States. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has officially received the request.
Francken said the plan would increase industrial employment in Europe and harmonise Belgium’s defence expenditure with more general European strategic and industrial goals. He underlined even more that Belgium’s reputation inside NATO would gain from such an action, given its hosting of numerous important NATO organisations.
Originally, Belgium requested 34 F-35A aircraft in 2018; all are now set for manufacture at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth site in Texas. Francken, on the other hand, currently supports future batches being built at the Final Assembly and Check-Out (FACO) location in Cameri, Italy.
Operated jointly by Lockheed Martin and Leonardo, the Cameri plant has previously delivered F-35s to Italy and the Netherlands.
The minister underscored that Belgium’s air force is not large enough to justify the operation of multiple fighter types and that any future procurements will remain within the F-35 family. He also underlined that fresh contracts have to provide job possibilities and financial benefits for the Belgian industry.
Many see the action as a larger campaign to improve Europe’s defence industrial base and obtain more strategic independence. The viability of moving assembly activities to Europe is called into doubt, nonetheless, by the dominance of US-based manufacturing lines and the American provenance of essential components.
Francken’s remarks come amid growing pressure on NATO allies to meet the alliance’s 2% of GDP defence spending target. The Belgian government reportedly plans to increase its defence budget by approximately €4 billion annually over the next five years.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
