Rapid shift to next-generation nuclear aircraft to entail an €800 million investment
The costs of modernizing the military airport in Germany for U.S. stealth jets, such as the F-35, have significantly increased from the initial estimate of 1.2 billion euros to around 2 billion euros. This escalation is due to several key factors.
First, Germany's 2025 defense budget was raised to €503 billion, nearly doubling previous limits, to support strategic autonomy amidst geopolitical shifts and rising military demands in Europe. This expanded budget includes modernizing military infrastructure to accommodate cutting-edge assets like the stealth F-35 jets, which requires substantial upgrades.
Second, Germany plans to expand its F-35 fleet to 50 jets, increasing demands on infrastructure like runways, hangars, maintenance facilities, and security systems specifically tailored for these advanced stealth aircraft. Such expansions and technical specifications inflate modernization costs beyond earlier estimates.
Third, the German government is undertaking a strategic pivot to transform its military capabilities in response to evolving threats, such as Russian aggression in Ukraine and uncertainty about U.S. security commitments. The modernization encompasses AI-enabled systems and precision mass doctrine implementation, which imposes additional technological and infrastructure requirements that drive costs up.
Fourth, the defense modernization includes not only airports but also broader infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and high-speed fiber-optic networks to support a highly integrated military logistics and communications system. Combined with Germany taking on more operational military responsibilities, these enhancements contribute significantly to the overall cost.
Fifth, faster project execution to meet Europe's urgent security needs can increase costs through premium contracts and the need to retrofit or replace existing facilities rather than build from scratch.
The ministry acknowledged in late June that the costs for the modernization project would increase by a three-digit million amount. Furthermore, extensive security requirements made by the USA during the project have caused additional costs that were not initially estimated. Even a twice as long realization period in the normal procedure would increase the costs.
It is worth noting that the German government has ordered 35 F-35 fighter jets for use in NATO's nuclear deterrence. However, no explicit connection between the modernization project in the Eifel region and the US's order of 35 fighter jets is stated in the text.
The final cost of the modernization project will be determined upon its completion in 2027. Delaying the project to prevent higher costs is not an option due to the inflexible timeline for the deployment of the F-35 by 2027. A contract with the general contractor for the new framework is to be signed in August.
In summary, the combined effect of Germany’s unprecedented defense spending increase, expanding stealth jet fleet, advanced technology needs, strategic shifts, and large-scale infrastructure upgrades have led to the modernization costs of the military airport being significantly higher than initially planned. Further cost increases due to personnel reinforcements to meet the "extremely ambitious time constraints" cannot be ruled out.
- The increase in defense spending, which has almost doubled to €503 billion in 2025, is being allocated towards modernizing military infrastructure to accommodate advanced assets like the stealth F-35 jets, contributing to the escalation of costs.
- The expansion of Germany's F-35 fleet to 50 jets, necessitating upgrades to runways, hangars, maintenance facilities, and security systems specifically tailored for these aircraft, is another factor that has inflated modernization costs beyond initial estimates.
- The German government's strategic pivot, aiming to transform military capabilities in response to evolving threats, has added to the costs due to the need for advanced technology and infrastructure, such as AI-enabled systems, precision mass doctrine implementation, high-speed fiber-optic networks, and broader infrastructure upgrades. These requirements are driving costs up.
