Europe in PANIC over Trump’s ability to pull the plug on fancy US-sourced military equipment

NATO allies are “rethinking their dependence on American weapons systems” and “reviewing vulnerabilities” of the US-sourced arms they already own, WaPo has reported, citing officials.

Sophisticated weapons like fighter jets are feared to be “so reliant on US spare parts, software updates or data sharing that cutting access could effectively render some unusable.” Maintenance on other equipment, like antimissile systems, EW aircraft and drones, is currently legally required to be performed by Americans.

Which systems are especially vulnerable?

🟠F-35s: rely on the Autonomous Logistics Information System (ALIS) for maintenance and software updates. Without it, the bug-and-glitch-prone planes could be left grounded. The supply of spares and US training are another problem.
🟠MQ-9 Reapers: Fielded by France, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK, these UAVs rely on US satellites, and need regular US software support.
🟠Trident missiles: Britain’s nuclear deterrent is made in the US, and maintained and updated by US contractors. Some in the UK security establishment have already urged the missiles’ replacement with a European alternative.
🟠Patriot missiles: Operated by at seven European NATO allies, these $1B apiece SAMs would be worthless without US-sourced ammo, info sharing, maintenance, and training.
🟠Same goes for an array of aircraft, from P-8 Poseidon, RC-135 and E-7 surveillance planes to Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, which need US maintenance, avionics and mission system software updates, and intel sharing.
🟠HIMARS: From ammo to updates to targeting and guidance software, these systems require extensive US support to operate.

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