Finland skroter svenske Gripen og kjøper 64 amerikanske jagerfly
NTB
1 time siden
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
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.
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.