Portugal and Canada put the Spanish Navy in a difficult situation in relation to the F-35 fighter

The replacement of the Spanish Navy's Harrier II fighters is becoming an increasingly complicated matter.

The Spanish Navy's alternatives if the government does not approve the purchase of F-35 fighters
The US Department of Defense sets a deadline for Spain to acquire the F-35B fighter

If Spain does not buy the F-35B, its Navy will lose its carrier-based fixed wing

As we have been seeing for years, the Spanish Navy has no other option than the F-35B to replace its Harrier II, since its only aircraft carrier, the "Juan Carlos I" L-61, was designed to operate with fixed-wing aircraft and STOVL capability, that is, short takeoff and vertical landing. The F-35B is the only STOVL aircraft on the market, so the choice for Spain is very simple regarding the replacement of the Harrier II: either the F-35B is purchased or the Spanish Navy's carrier-based fixed wing will disappear, losing a capability that it has maintained since 1976, first with the AV-8S Harrier (known in Spain as "Matador") and since 1996 with the EAV-8B+ Harrier II Plus.

A purely political problem

That dilemma should have led the Spanish government to decide to purchase the F-35B years ago. However, Pedro Sánchez's socialist government has never wanted to take the step because the F-35B is an American aircraft. It didn't take that step when Joe Biden, ideologically closer to Sánchez, was in the White House, and now there are even fewer reasons to do so, following Trump's arrival to the presidency and the shift he is undergoing in foreign policy.

It must be said that this problem is not only due to the indecision of the current Spanish government. Let's remember that the F-35 was presented to the public in 2006, 19 years ago. At that time, Spain was governed by the socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Both he and his successor, Mariano Rajoy (of the Popular Party), showed no interest in investing a single dollar in a weapons system that Spain needs, which is why our country now has no options to purchase these aircraft and, at the same time, have the Spanish military industry participate in their manufacture.

On the other hand, the European industry also showed no interest in developing a STOVL fighter jet, as the other European countries that need this type of fighter, the United Kingdom and Italy, were partners in the F-35 program. France has a CATOBAR-type aircraft carrier (with catapults for takeoff and arresting cables for landing, just like US aircraft carriers) and manufactures its own naval aircraft (currently, the Dassault Rafale M). Developing a STOVL aircraft alone would have been enormously expensive for Spain. That's how we got into this impasse.

The cancellations by Portugal and Canada make things more difficult for the Spanish Navy.

Recent news about the American stealth aircraft has made the situation even more difficult for the Spanish Navy. Portugal's cancellation of the F-35 purchase and Canada's announcement that it will seek alternatives (possibly the Saab JAS-39 Gripen) leave Spain in an even more complicated situation when it comes to replacing its Harrier IIs. If until now the Spanish government was wary of the F-35 because it is a US product, now the political pressure to not buy that aircraft will be even greater, even though the Spanish Navy has no other alternative.

The Turkish Navy's alternative: Hürjet or drones

There is no alternative, at least with the current aircraft carrier model. Following Turkey's expulsion from the F-35 program, in 2021 there was talk that Turkey was planning to develop a naval version of the TAI Hürjet, the training aircraft that has every indication of being the future replacement for the Spanish Air Force's F-5BMs. However, there has been no progress on this possible naval Hürjet. There are several reasons for this. First, the Hürjet is the first jet aircraft Turkey has built, but developing a STOVL aircraft is much more complicated, and Turkey currently lacks the necessary experience to undertake such a project. Its cost would be extremely high relative to the few units that would be needed. Even a CATOBAR version of the Hürjet would not be without its difficulties, as the aircraft would need a reinforced fuselage to operate from a ship, and Turkey has no experience in manufacturing naval aircraft.

On the other hand, the Turkish aircraft carrier TCG Anadolu (L-400), sister ship of the Spanish L-61, lacks catapults and arresting cables. Even if the ship were modified to add these systems (a challenge fraught with complications), the L-400's rectangular deck is not suitable for operating CATOBAR aircraft. A sloping deck, like those of French and US aircraft carriers, would be required. Both Spain and Turkey could consider building CATOBAR aircraft carriers, but their cost would be very high and development would be far from simple. For that reason, Türkiye is focusing its aircraft carrier on operating drones. Could this be the future of the Spanish aircraft carrier?

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Main photo: U.S. Navy.