Portugal will decide on a replacement of its ageing fleet of F-16 jet fighters based on national interests and is seriously considering the US offer of F-35s along with other options, Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said on Thursday after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Lisbon.

Portugal has yet to launch a formal tender to replace its 28 upgraded F-16M fighter jets, but competition is already tense for a deal that would deepen Lisbon’s defence ties with either European or US partners.

“The Portuguese state will always decide in accordance with the national interest. There is one point that is also clear: we are seriously considering the F-35 proposal, just as we are considering others,” Rangel told a news conference after the meeting.

Lockheed Martin’s F-35, widely seen by defence analysts as the leading contender, faces competition from the Eurofighter Typhoon, manufactured by Airbus, Britain’s BAE Systems and Italy’s Leonardo, as well as from Dassault Aviation’s Rafale and Saab’s Gripen E.