The purchase of expensive fighter jets by West European states over the past decade provides a tantalizing case to explore if and how the globalization of arms production affects different national contexts. Countries have alternatively acquired the American F-35, a European product, the Eurofighter, or national jets (Gripen or Rafale), whereas others have mixed their acquisition strategy between two airplanes. These contrasted decisions illustrate both the fragmentation and the coherence of European defense procurement policies in the face of globalization. In this exploratory paper we look at the purchase of fighter jets in six countries as a ‘knot’ in public controversies around armament policies: these controversies are privileged sites to observe theoretical arguments being played out empirically. Focusing on argumentative trajectories, our preliminary analysis shows that public controversies express different theoretical underpinnings depending on the national context and on the various stages in the acquisition process.
