Friday 10th December 2021
F35 A replaces previous stock
Finland is upgrading its air force
The Finnish Air Force is getting new aircraft for more than eight billion euros. The country goes shopping on a large scale from the US company Lockheed Martin. The more than five dozen new combat aircraft are to replace the previous Hornet fleet.
The Finnish government has approved ten billion euros for the acquisition of 64 fighter jets from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the associated additional costs such as maintenance and training. The F-35A Lightning II multi-role fighter aircraft have a purchase price of around 8.4 billion euros and will replace the previous Hornet fleet of the US manufacturer McDonnell Douglas in the coming years, as the government in Helsinki announced.
The Finnish Ministry of Defense is now expected to sign a purchase agreement with Lockheed Martin. Finland is not a member of NATO, but like neighboring Sweden, works closely with the alliance. It is the EU country with the longest border with Russia.
In addition to the 64 jets, the procurement includes, among other things, extensive and versatile armament tailored to the operating conditions, the necessary training and maintenance solutions and maintenance services until the end of 2030, as the announcement went on to say. When evaluating the offers, the F-35A Lightning II performed best with its military capabilities.
The US company Lockheed Martin prevailed against the rivals against Saab from Sweden, the US rival Boeing, the British BAE Systems and the French Dassault. The French had just signed a mega-deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a week ago. This involves the sale of 80 Rafale machines. The business has a volume of at least 15 billion euros. Dassault recently sold aircraft to Greece, Egypt and Croatia.
Defense sources said the Rafale jets would replace the Mirage 2000 fleet. At the same time, however, it is unlikely that it will displace the American F-35, as the UAE would continue to secure its security through two large suppliers – France and the USA.