Finland går for F-35 - ABC Nyheter /Defense Daily

 

Finland skroter svenske Gripen og kjøper 64 amerikanske jagerfly

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Det kunngjør den finske regjeringen fredag.

Fem ulike flytyper har vært med i diskusjonen, de svenske Saab-produserte Gripen E, amerikanske Lockheed Martins F-35 og Super Hornet, europeiske Eurofighter og franske Rafale.

– F-35 oppfyller servicekravene, kravene på industrielt samarbeid og forsvarskravet, sier Finlands forsvarsminister Antti Kaikkonen.

Han sier det har vært en vanskelig avveining og at konkurransen har vært tøff, og legger til at Finland fortsatt ønsker å samarbeide med alle parter.

Sverige hadde håpet at nabolandet ville kjøpe Saabs Jas 39 Gripen til en pris på opp mot 100 milliarder svenske kroner. Også Norge vraket Gripen til fordel for F-35 i sin tid.

Finland picks the F-35 as its next fighter, continuing the U.S. warplane’s inroads in Europe

By Sebastian Sprenger

 Dec 10, 04:14 PM

F-35A jets gather at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, in 2020 for an exercise meant to test deployment capabilities. (R. Nial Bradshaw/U.S. Air Force)

WASHINGTON – The Finnish government has picked the F-35 as the replacement for the country’s F-18 Hornet fleet, known as the HX program, according to a Ministry of Defense statement.

The decision settles one of the last remaining lucrative fighter competitions in Europe, with Lockheed Martin’s offering once again coming out on top. In June, the Swiss also picked the plane, marketed by Lockheed as a stealthy plane with novel sensor-fusion capabilities.

The Finns have budgeted a maximum of 10 billion euros for the HX program, or roughly $11.3 billion. The cost for 64 F-35 A Block 4 planes is estimated at 4.7 billion euros, while a stash of AMRAAM and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles will come in at 755 million euros and a maintenance services package through 2030 will cost 2.9 billion euros.

Lockheed’s plane beat out four other competitors: Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet, Dassault’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab’s Gripen. The evaluation process saw the F-35 “pass” the selection criteria of security of supply and industrial participation and affordability, according to the MOD statement. It also scored highest in the military capability area.

Lockheed Martin was quick to point out in a promotional video posted on Twitter that the Finnish decision makes it the ninth country in Europe to pick the contractor’s fifth-generation fighter jet. The move means competition in the backyards of local manufacturers Airbus, Dassault and Saab has heated up even more.

In a statement, Dassault painted Finland’s pick as a decision in favor of the United States, presumably over its neighbors on the continent. “Once again, we notice and regret an American preference prevailing in Europe,” reads the statement, posted on the company’s website.

One of the Finnish selection criteria was the multinational and “large” user community, the MOD said. “The system is in service in many European nations including Norway and Denmark.”

The first F-35 is expected in Finland in 2026.