The German government is planning to equip its air force with US-built F-35 stealth military jets, the country’s defence minister said on Monday. The aircraft from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin are to be procured as the successor to the Tornado fleet introduced more than 40 years ago. “After careful consideration of all the options that were on the table, I have decided to initiate the procurement of F-35 aircraft for the task of nuclear sharing,” said Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht. ‘Nuclear sharing’ is a concept from the NATO military alliance, meaning that those countries without nu…