No Navy Successor After Harrier Retirement in 2030

Spain has suspended talks with the U.S. for acquiring the Lockheed Martin F-35 to instead support European defense programs. The Spanish Navy now has no successor to replace its aging EAV-8B Harrier II fleet and interferes with the Air & Space Force plans for fifth-generation combat aircraft.

The Spanish government had approved €10.5 billion for its defense investment plan in April 2025 and to spend 2% of its GDP on defense, but it instead has pledged 85% of that budget in European industry. The decision effectively eliminated the F-35, and the change in plan was confirmed by the Spanish Ministry of Defense.

The Spanish Navy’s Harriers are anticipated to retire by 2030, and without the F-35B it has no aircraft capability to operate off the Jaun Carlos I amphibious assault ship.

The Spanish Naval Aviation Commander Capt. José Emilio Regodón Gómez stressed that the country was committed to maintaining its 10 single-seat Harriers operational through the 2020s but warned that sustaining them beyond that was unrealistic. He cited likely supply chain challenges as the obstacle to that.

To maintain the Harriers, the Spanish Navy has secured support contracts through 2028 and is collaborating with Airbus to assist with unexpected malfunctions and obsolete components. However, without a replacement aircraft, fixed-wing capability beyond 2030 is uncertain.

Although the Spanish Air & Space Force was also interested in the F-35A to replace its EF-18 Hornets, the change in Spain’s industrial and political priorities have shut down that option. As early as 2021, the government in Madrid denied acquisition of any F-35s in favor of playing along with France and Germany in the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program, which the latest news now reconfirms.

Despite 11 other NATO allies having secured the F-35, Spain emphasizes domestic industry and trans-European cooperation in defense. While there are delays and issues inside the FCAS program, it remains Spain’s stated long-term solution. The Air Force may procure additional Eurofighter Typhoons, but the lack of a Navy capability could lead to a strategic void for as long as a decade.

FMI:  emad.defensa.gob.es/