finland has spent the last five years selecting new fighter aircraft with
air-to-surface and air-to-sea capabilities to protect its 1300 kilometer border with russia
hoping to deter russian aggression the planes will replace 64 boeing f a-18 hornets that will
be phased out between 2025 and 2030 with the new fighters remaining in service into the 2060s
despite the country's economic problems as a result of the covet-19 outbreak finland's ministry
of defence in august requested a staggering 54 increase in military spending to 5.8 billion
by 2021 4.87 billion euros with hx competition making up the majority from increasing
finnish air force faf proposed to the government that the f-35b selected as the country's next
fighter jet after evaluating competitors for the hx competition finnish media outlet ilta
lady reported on sunday finland has allowed manufacturers to create aircraft and weapons
packages that best meet the air force's operational demands and the country's budget
rather than state requirements for a specific number of aircraft with unique capabilities
the f-35 manufactured by lockheed martin was one of five aircraft delivered to finland
in addition to the saab griping boeing super hornet euro fighter and french rafale
according to ilta lady citing an unnamed number of defence and security policy sources the f-35
fleet will be purchased due to its superior capability and lifespan the package offered to
finland was approved by the u.s state department in october 2020. it includes up to 64 f-35 as
plus a wide array of weapons parts and logistics training support systems packages
why the f-35 fighter jet the f-35a represents a possible technical breakthrough for finland
as the combination of stealth and superior sensors allows it to safely infiltrate
hostile airspace and potentially detect and attack enemy jets before being seen in return
additionally the f-35 is also in service with the norwegian air force apparently designed
and tested to perform well in cold weather the faf's current combat capabilities include 55
upgraded fa-18cs and seven two-seat fa-18ds assigned to fighter squadrons 31 and 11
respectively based in central and northern finland in the event of a crisis a third training squadron
of bay eagle aircraft may act as light attack aircraft finland has deployed the hornets to
pursue russian aircraft near land and sea borders on several instances in recent years accusing them
of violating sovereign airspace finland will also have to contend with russian gps jamming
as well as other offensive russian maneuvers as a result whatever aircraft the finns purchase should
be able to combat russian air defenses making stealth the most important consideration taking
these factors into account the f-35 would be the most appropriate choice for finland