The Government of Finland announced this Friday that it will acquire 64 F35-A fighters from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin, combat missiles, auxiliary equipment and training and maintenance services for a total amount of 8.378 million euros.
With this agreement, which will be the largest arms acquisition in the history of Finland, the Nordic country seeks to modernize its defensive capacity and replace its old F / A-18 combat aircraft.
The Lockheed Martin F35-As were chosen after a long bidding period and flight tests in Finnish territory, in which factors such as the price offered, performance and their adaptation to the harsh Nordic climate were assessed.
The F35-A competed with the F / A-18 Super Hornet of the also American Boeing, the Eurofighter Typhoon of the European consortium to which Airbus belongs, the Swedish Saab Gripen E and the Rafale of the French manufacturer Dassault.
The Finnish Defense Ministry justified its choice, in a statement, noting that the F35-A beat their rivals in performance, combat and reconnaissance capabilities.
It also ranked highest among all candidates for total cost of the offering, operational effectiveness and future development potential, according to the statement.
The acquisition includes 64 F35-A fighters, costing 4,703 million euros, and AMRAAM and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles worth 754.6 million euros.
The rest (about € 2.92 billion) will pay for service equipment, spare parts and training and maintenance programs until the end of 2030.
In addition, the Finnish Government reserved an additional € 777 million for the construction of hangars and other infrastructures and an additional € 823.8 million to optimize the final weapons package and control future modifications of the contract.
Lockheed Martin is scheduled to deliver its first fighters to the Finnish Air Force in 2026 and the current fleet of F / A-18s to be fully replaced between 2028 and 2030.
