Finland Is Reported to Pick F-35 Jets in $11 Billion Tender

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, UT - NOVEMBER 19: An F-35A of Hill Air Force Bases 388th and 419th fighter wings takes-off for a training exercise on November 19, 2018 in Hill Air Force Base, Utah. This combat training exercise is to help the 388th and 419th, the only combat ready units for the F-35A's, to be ready to launch multiple aircraft on short notice in the defense of the country. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images) , Photographer: George Frey/Getty Images North America

Kati Pohjanpalo and Leo Laikola, Bloomberg News

Dec 5, 2021

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(Bloomberg) -- Finland is set to pick Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 fighter jets in its 10 billion-euro ($11.3 billion) tender to replace soon-outdated war planes that form a key defense pillar of Russia’s neighbor, according to a report in local media.

A fleet of F-35s will be acquired due to their capability and expected long lifespan, newspaper Iltalehti said, citing a number of defense and security policy sources it didn’t identify. The Defense Forces made the proposal to the Defense Ministry, which backs the motion along with top security and foreign policy makers, the newspaper said on Sunday. 

Selecting the Lockheed Martin warplanes would align the Nordic country with the U.S. for the coming decades through industrial cooperation that accounts for almost a third of the order price. Finland is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, though it trains with the alliance and uses NATO-compatible gear.

Lauri Puranen, a director at the defense ministry who is responsible for the procurement, declined to comment when contacted by another local newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat.

Finland has spent the past five years selecting a new fighter with air-to-surface and air-to-sea capabilities to defend a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia, seeking to deter any aggression from its eastern neighbor. The jets will replace 64 Boeing F/A-18 Hornets that will be retired in stages in 2025 to 2030, with the new aircraft set to be in service until the 2060s. The procurement also includes weapons systems, sensors, supporting equipment and functions, such as training.

While the Nordic nation of 5.5 million can muster 180,000 troops for wartime service through national conscription, its landmass is too large to defend without war planes. Finland has also been considering fighter jets from Boeing Co., Dassault Aviation SA, the Eurofighter consortium and Saab AB, and the government is due to decide this month on the procurement.

(Adds further information on the tender from the fourth paragraph)

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