Germany plans to develop new fighter jet to replace Tornado fleet

[CougarKing]

In the wake of the recent news questioning the airworthiness of the Luftwaffe's Tornado fleet, it's a race against time before Germany retires the Tornado in the mid 2020s:

Reuters

Germany plans to develop new fighter jet to replace Tornado
BERLIN

Germany plans to develop a new fighter jet to replace Tornado jets in the long term and it aims to hold initial talks with European partners in 2016 about what features they want in the aircraft, according to a document seen by Reuters on Sunday.

A draft document from the Defence Ministry on 'military aviation strategy' said it was still unclear whether the new jet would be manned or unmanned. It said it was also possible that the jet would be designed for both options and then be flown with or without a pilot depending on the type of deployment.

As it would be a European project, it is likely that one or more European companies would be chosen to develop the jet. The Tornado jet, which Germany has been using since 1981 - although it now also has the newer Eurofighter jet - was also made in an international consortium called Panavia.
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[CougarKing]

More on the above:

Revealed: New Stealth Bomber Plans From Germany
Germany hopes to develop a new strike aircraft to replace its aging Panavia Tornado bombers. Berlin expects to hold preliminary discussions with its European partners about the nascent project in 2016, according to a report from Reuters.

According to a draft German defense ministry document obtained by the newswire, it is not clear if the new warplane would be manned, unmanned or optionally manned. However, according to the Reuters report, an optionally manned aircraft is a distinct possibility. But what is clear is that Berlin views the project as a collaborative European effort similar to the Eurofighter Typhoon or the Tornado before it.

There are few details available about the prospective new aircraft, but if it is intended to replace the Tornado, the jet is likely to be designed as a dedicated strike aircraft. If the Luftwaffe follows the American lead, the new jet is likely to be a stealthy design. Nor would it be the first German stealth aircraft design— Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (present day Airbus Group) designed the Lampyridae in 1980s independent of the United States to at least the radar cross section model stage.

National Interest