Lufthansa is participating in a consortium with Rheinmetall to produce and maintain components for the Lockheed F-35 fighter jet. CEO Spohr speaks of a strategic step.
Lufthansa has announced that it will participate in a consortium with the Rheinmetall Group to manufacture and maintain parts of the Lockheed F-35 fighter jet. Participation in the armaments project is a strategic step, said Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr on Thursday evening in Frankfurt.
In view of military conflicts, there is a need for technical support to improve the defense preparedness of armies worldwide. Lufthansa also wants to be “on board for the heavy transport helicopter in the large helicopter order that the Bundeswehr is negotiating with Boeing,” said Spohr.
Investor should get involved in the technology division
According to the Lufthansa boss, the largest German airline and its technology division have long been partners of the Air Force in flight readiness as well as the equipment and maintenance of military aircraft. The group is currently looking for an investor for the Lufthansa Technik division in order to be able to grow more strongly.
The plan is to sell a minority stake of 20 to 25 percent. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Most recently, according to a report by “Handelsblatt”, there were still two bidders in the running: the financial investors Bain and Advent.
Denmark hands over fighter jets to Ukraine
The US F-35 fighter jet is expected to replace the Air Force’s Tornado fleet in the coming years. The plan is for a total of 35 machines to be delivered from 2026. Around ten billion euros from the special funds of the Federal Ministry of Defense will flow into the order.
Other EU states are already using the stealth jet. This week the first F-35s landed in Denmark, replacing older F-16s from the Danish Air Force. In total, the country has ordered 27 of the modern fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin. Denmark wants to transfer 19 of its F-16 jets to Ukraine. Ukrainian pilots are being trained for this.
New factory planned in NRW
“Business Insider” reported on the cooperation with Rheinmetall last week. According to the media report, the agreement between the companies will be sealed on September 19th.
In February, Rheinmetall signed a declaration of intent with the US defense companies Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, according to which the Düsseldorf-based company would produce parts for the fuselage of the stealth bomber. For this purpose, a factory with more than 400 jobs is to be built in Weeze, North Rhine-Westphalia.