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The requirement for the Finnish Air Force to replace its Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet multirole combat aircraft by 2030 has brought with it the need to ensure that Finland has the requisite industrial resilience to operate the aircraft, along with its sensors and weapon systems, with a high degree of independence.
As a result the aircraft under evaluation – the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the Dassault Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Saab Gripen E/F, and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Block III Super Hornet – are being tested for their ability to ensure that Finnish requirements for security of supply can be met. The country has set a requirement for a 30% return of the total contract value as part of this, meaning that an estimated EUR2–3 billion (USD2.4–3.6 billion) of work will need to take place in Finland across direct work packages on the procured platform, as well as on indirect complementary work. Work packages should be completed within a decade of contract signature, which is scheduled to take place in 2021.
A Lockheed Martin F-35 with a Finnish Air Force Boeing F/A-18 Hornet at the HX Challenge evaluation event in Finland in February. (Finnish Air Force)
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