The German Ministry of Defense, under Minister Boris Pistorius, is requesting a significant increase in funding to modernize the Büchel Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate, the planned future home of the nation’s new F-35 fighter jets from 2027 onwards.
According to a confidential document submitted to the Bundestag’s budget committee and reported by “Der Spiegel”, the ministry is seeking the release of €644 million for “weapon system-specific infrastructure” at the air base. This increase elevates the project’s overall cost to nearly €2 billion, a substantial rise from the initial estimate of approximately €700 million.
The Ministry of Defense asserts that the funding increase is unavoidable. The document states that without these additional funds, the “timely provision of the infrastructure urgently required for launching flight operations” would be severely jeopardized. The supplemental request is attributed to a combination of factors, including a need for increased personnel to accelerate project execution, complex high-altitude construction work, “specific site conditions” rising material costs and stringent security protocols.
The submission indirectly acknowledges a potential significant underestimation of costs associated with the broader F-35 program, which carries a total budget of approximately €10 billion. The Ministry is now working to address these challenges and ensure a successful transition and operational readiness for the new fighter jets at Büchel Air Base.