Germany decided to buy the American fighter jet F-35 to replace the aging Tornado, Reuters quoted a source in the Defense Ministry of Germany.

According to the source, Germany has been leaning toward buying the F-35 since early February, but a final decision has yet to be made.

The Tornado is the only German jet capable of carrying US nuclear bombs, which are stored in Germany, in case of a conflict. But the German air force has been flying the Tornado since the 1980s, and Berlin is planning to phase it out between 2025 and 2030.

It is still unclear how many F-35s Germany might try to buy.

The F-35 purchase will be a blow for Boeing (BA.N), whose F-18 was favored by former German defense minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to replace the Tornado.

The decision to use an American fighter jet could also upset France. Paris has been wary of Germany's past discussions about choosing the F-18 or F-35, fearing that it could undermine the development of a joint French-German fighter jet, which should be ready in the 2040s.