The Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Air Force, General João Cartaxo Alves, confirmed that his country is in the process of replacing its warplane F-16M with modern F-35 aircraft. The F-35 procurement program is estimated to cost €5.5 billion over 20 years. Speaking to the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias, General Alves ended discussions over the F-35 acquisition. The procurement plan includes spreading costs over two decades, with logistical cooperation with several European countries. The first stages of the transformation process have already begun, with Portugal holding workshops with Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force to ensure compatibility with the capabilities of fifth-generation aircraft. This structured approach aims to deploy the F-35s gradually and integrate them into the Portuguese defence framework. The chief of the Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa) had already stated at a conference on military airlift and refuelling in Lisbon in 2023 that the F-35 was a suitable replacement for its F-16 fleet. However, this statement was denied by the Portuguese government, which stated that the Portuguese Ministry of Defence had no plans to pursue the fifth-generation fighter aircraft, according to Breaking Defense, which spoke to Portuguese Defence Ministry spokesperson Helena Carreiras. Portugal's neighbour, Spain, recently gave up on the F-35A acquisition and headed towards Eurofighters.
Portugal to Modernise its Fleet with F-35 Jets
