US ambassador urges Portugal to buy F-35s, join top-tier air forces

The U.S. ambassador to Portugal has urged Lisbon to replace its ageing F-16 fighter jets with Lockheed Martin's F-35, saying the stealth jet would ensure interoperability with Europe's top-tier air forces. Ambassador John Arrigo told CNN Portugal late on Sunday that he aimed to draw on his business experience to help Portugal ramp up defence spending to NATO's target of 5% of gross domestic product by 2035 from the current 2%.



"F-35 is the best fighter - it's a fifth-generation stealth fighter, it'll get them (the Portuguese Air Force) into the Champions League when it comes to the EU," Arrigo said. Portuguese Defence Minister Nuno Melo said in November that the selection process for ​the replacement fighters had not yet started.



Arrigo said more than 900 of the F-35s were in service or on order across Europe and that for "interoperability, the F-35 is definitely the way to go," noting also that 25% of the plane was made with European parts. On relations with China, the ambassador said the Trump administration was not pushing Portugal to choose between Washington and Beijing or decouple from China, The U.S. was promoting "de-risking", he said, ensuring cybersecurity and investment screening.