The Finnish Defense istration chose the F-35 Lightning II to replace its F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets. The statement comes from the Finnish newspaper Evening paper.
According to the portal, anonymous sources from the sectors of defense and foreign affairs of the Finnish Government confirmed that the Defense Forces proposed the Lockheed Martin F-35A to the Ministry of Defense. If this is confirmed, the HX Program comes to an end, with the victory of the North American stealth fighter expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The tender, valued at US$ 11.3 billion, began in 2015, with the final proposals being delivered to the government in April this year. In addition to the F-35, competitors are the Saab Gripen E, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon. The new aircraft are expected to remain in service until 2060.
According to Bloomberg, Lauri Puranen, Fefesa ministry director in charge of acquisitions, declined to comment when ed by another local newspaper, Helsingin Sanomat.
Choosing the F-35 would align the Nordic country with the US for decades to come through industrial cooperation, which s for nearly a third of the order price. Finland is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, although it trains with the alliance and uses NATO-compatible equipment.
In addition to the acquisition of 64 fighters, the purchase will also include weapons, sensors, training and material.
The government can still choose a different fighter than the one selected by the Defense istration. However, local newspaper sources consider this unlikely. There are also government officials who prefer a European fighter over a US fighter.
While the Nordic nation of 5,5 million people can muster 180.000 troops for military service through national conscription, its landmass is too large to defend without warplanes, notes the Bloomberg.
