"The United States would make Portugal a 'very competitive' offer to replace its F-16 fleet," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Lisbon on October 8, 2026, framing a high-level push that places Washington squarely in the running as Portugal weighs a long-term fighter choice.
Marco Rubio's pitch in Lisbon
Speaking during a European tour, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Portuguese officials the United States would present a "very competitive" proposal to replace Portugal's F-16s. Rubio's remarks add a senior political dimension to what the source describes as an "increasingly intense competition" over the Portuguese Air Force’s next fighter, elevating procurement from a technical replacement task to a geopolitical decision for Lisbon.
Paulo Rangel and Lisbon's deliberation
Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel, after meeting Rubio, said "The Portuguese state will always decide in accordance with the national interest" and that "we are seriously considering the F-35 proposal, just as we are considering others." Portugal has not yet formally launched a replacement competition, Rangel said, but the government is treating the F-35 offer seriously while keeping other options on the table.
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See what we buildState of Portugal's F-16AM/BM fleet
Portugal currently operates 25 modernized F-16AM/BM aircraft — 21 single-seat F-16AMs and four two-seat F-16BMs — based at Monte Real Air Base (BA5). The country originally acquired 45 F-16A/B Block 15s under the Peace Atlantis I and II programs: 20 new-build Block 15OCU aircraft delivered beginning in 1994 (17 F-16As and three F-16Bs), and 25 former U.S. Air Force Block 15OCU aircraft delivered in 1999 and modernized to the F-16AM/BM configuration.
Those jets received incremental upgrades over the years including night-vision goggles, Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS), Northrop Grumman Litening II targeting pods, and weapons integration for GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs, GBU-31 JDAM, and GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II dual‑mode weapons. Structurally, the aircraft could potentially remain in service into the mid-2040s, the source says, but maintaining relevance against more sophisticated air forces would require substantial investment in avionics, sensors, communications, and self-protection systems.
The fleet still relies on the AN/APG-66(V)2 pulse-Doppler radar; replacing that radar with an AESA such as Northrop Grumman’s APG-83 would materially improve detection and tracking but would come at considerable cost.
Competition: F-35 versus European fighters and Airbus' pending offer
The U.S. proposal centers on the F-35A, which the source says would provide Portugal a fifth-generation platform built around low observability, sensor fusion, advanced electronic warfare, and networked operations. Washington has argued that joining a growing community of European F-35 users would deliver interoperability advantages; more than 900 F-35s are "already in service or on order across Europe," the source attributes to U.S. Ambassador to Portugal John Arrigo.
European competitors named in the reporting include the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, and Saab Gripen E. Airbus plans to submit an unsolicited Eurofighter proposal to Portugal in late October or early November; that package is expected to encompass aircraft, financing, industrial participation, and broader military cooperation. The reporting notes that selecting the American stealth fighter would deepen Lisbon’s military relationship with Washington at a moment when some European governments are reassessing dependence on U.S. military capabilities.
What this means for the Portuguese Air Force, the United States, and European vendors
- Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa): The decision will determine the combat jet that "spearheads the Portuguese Air Force for the next several decades." The F-16s have an established operational record in NATO missions, but retaining that role will require either continued major upgrades to fourth-generation aircraft or a move to fifth-generation capability.
- United States (administration and defense industry): A successful F-35 bid would expand Portugal’s interoperability with other European F-35 users and deepen military ties; the U.S. argument combines capability advantages with acquisition and sustainment incentives, per the report.
- European vendors (Airbus/Eurofighter, Dassault, Saab): Airbus intends an especially aggressive campaign for Typhoon, with an unsolicited Eurofighter package promised in late October or early November that includes financing and industrial participation — a direct appeal to the political and industrial levers Lisbon is weighing against capability arguments for the F-35.
Portugal has leaned on U.S.-made hardware in other areas as well: the procurement of the UH-60 Black Hawk is cited as an example of existing reliance on U.S. equipment. The F-16s’ deployments — NATO air policing rotations to the Baltic States, Iceland, Romania and Poland — have built an operational record that will factor into Lisbon’s choice between upgrading an aging but capable fleet and acquiring a new generation of fighters.
The Portuguese government faces a consequential trade-off: invest large sums to sustain and modernize the F-16AM/BM fleet, or accept the U.S. offer for the F-35 and the interoperability and strategic ties that would follow — while Airbus and other European bidders press industrial, financial and political advantages. With Airbus slated to present an unsolicited proposal in late October or early November and Lisbon publicly "seriously considering" the F-35, the next weeks could prove decisive.
Source: U.S. Makes F-35 Push As Portugal Weighs F-16 Replacement — TWZ
