Benefits and expectations. Finland chooses F-35A fighter
HX program logo and its participants. Finnish Defense Ministry graphics
On December 10, Finland officially announced the results of the HX Fighter Program, the purpose of which was to select a new fighter-bomber for the Air Force. The winner of this competition was the American Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II aircraft. In the near future, the Finnish and American sides will clarify the conditions and conclude contracts, in accordance with which the construction and delivery of equipment will be carried out.
Update program
Currently fighter aviation Finland is represented only by American-made F / A-18C / D Hornet aircraft in the amount of about 60 units. Despite its obsolescence, this technique will remain in service for the time being. It is planned to operate until the end of the decade, but after 2025, the old Hornets will gradually be replaced with new aircraft.
Taking into account the future needs of the Air Force, in 2015 the Finnish Defense Ministry launched the HX program. Its goal was to find and select the best modern fighter that would meet the requirements of the Finnish army. As a result of the competitive part, it was supposed to sign a contract for 64 aircraft, weapons, maintenance, etc.
At the beginning of 2018, the final circle of participants in the competition was determined. Lockheed Martin offered Finland its F-35A aircraft, and Boeing entered the competition with the F / A-18E / F and EA-18G aircraft. The European industry was represented by the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale F4 and Saab JAS-39E / F fighters.
After studying the documentation on projects and various simulations, in early 2020, demonstration tests were held with the participation of equipment of all five types. Then the competition committee proceeded to analyze all the collected data, based on the results of which it was supposed to determine the winner. These works were noticeably delayed, and their results became known only now.
[Center]F-35 in flight. US Department of Defense Photo
In early December, the Finnish media, referring to their sources in the Ministry of Defense, reported that the F-35A Block 4 fighter became the winner of the HX competition. The official press release on this topic appeared on December 10. The military department confirmed the information already published, and also clarified the reasons for the choice made. It is reported that the American Lightning II has bypassed competitors in technical, combat and economic qualities.
Reasons for choosing
As reported, the competition committee used a rather complex system for comparing technology. The various parameters and characteristics of each of the aircraft were included in a complex formula from which an overall rating was derived. To get a chance to win the program, the applicant had to score at least 4 points. The F-35A received a rating of 4,47 and became the only one that managed to overcome the given barrier. The closest competitor scored only 3,81 points.
According to the Ministry of Defense, when evaluating and comparing the aircraft, various parameters were taken into account in four directions: the combat potential of the sample, its availability, supply issues and the participation of the Finnish industry in production.
In the context of combat use, the F-35A was completely satisfied with the Finnish Air Force. Tests and simulations have shown that he fully corresponds to the intended role and is able to solve all the issued tasks. At the same time, the tactical and technical characteristics, the composition of equipment and weapons will ensure effective combat work both immediately after entering service and in the distant future.
Finland plans to be most actively involved in the production of aircraft. At its enterprises, the assembly of the nose of the fuselage and, possibly, other components and assemblies of the airframe will be mastered. In addition, Finnish factories will take over the final assembly of the engines. Direct production will create a lot of jobs with a total workload of 4500 man-years. Another 1500 man-years will be required in related areas.
Lightning in winter. Lockheed Martin Photos
Also, the Finnish side plans to undertake most of the work on the maintenance, repair and modernization of aircraft. Finland will have new sites for such work, integrated into the general international network of services for F-35 aircraft. With their help, they are going to increase the reliability and stability of the operation of equipment.
It is curious that the F-35A was called the most cost-effective. It differs from other HX participants in the lowest purchase price and operating cost. Calculations have shown that the operation of the entire fleet of 64 aircraft will cost less than 254 million euros per year - approx. 4 million euros per board. The operation of other proposed fighters would be significantly more expensive.
Purchases and costs
In the near future, Finland is going to hold the remaining negotiations and conclude contracts with several contractors. First of all, there will be a contract with the Lockheed-Martin company directly for the supply of aircraft. They will also agree on the transfer of technology and the launch of the production of units at Finnish sites. There will also be contracts with suppliers of units, weapons, etc.
In total, they plan to spend 2030 billion euros on the Air Force rearmament program until 10, or 156 million for each new aircraft. 21 million have already been used for competition events. The rest of the funds will now be spent on the main tasks of the program.
Directly on 64 fighter F-35A Block 4 will spend 4,703 billion euros - less than 73,5 million apiece. The related equipment, the planned volume of spare parts, personnel training, technical support until 2030 will cost another 2,92 billion euros.
A large number of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons will be purchased for the new aircraft. These will be missiles AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-158 JASSM, etc., as well as bombs JDAM, GBU-39 SDB, GBU-53 SDB II, etc. At the first stage, only AMRAAM and Sidewinder, and will spend 754,6 million euros on them. Further purchases will be determined by the development of aviation weapons and the needs of the Air Force. They will allocate 823,8 million.
The fighter is taking off. US Department of Defense Photo
Finland will have to prepare its own production facilities for participation in the construction, prepare the airfield infrastructure, establish a service system, etc. 777 million euros will be spent on these processes.
According to Finnish plans, the preparatory work will take several years. The direct construction of fighters will begin only by the middle of the decade, and the first machines will be handed over to the Air Force in 2026.The last batch is going to be accepted no later than 2030.The operation of the new Lightning II will continue until at least 2060.
Victory factors
The Finnish Air Force not only made their choice, but also explained it. The official announcement of the completion of the HX competition contains all the basic information about the advantages of the selected aircraft, and it is of great interest. In addition, this data has the potential to influence the international combat aircraft market.
Commenting on its choice, the Finnish Ministry of Defense points to the high tactical, technical, combat and operational characteristics of the American fighter. This is quite understandable and understandable, since The F-35A does have certain technical advantages, although it is not without its drawbacks. Advantages of this kind have already helped this aircraft to get into the Air Force of a number of foreign countries.
Information on the economic advantages of the selected aircraft is of great interest. Finnish experts have found that of all the participants in the competition, it is the F-35A that is the most profitable in terms of the cost of production and operation. This is unexpected, especially considering that the aircraft belong to different generations and differ significantly in the complexity of their design and equipment.
One of the first F-35A for the Norwegian Air Force. Probably, in the future, this machine will interact with Finnish aircraft. Photo by the Norwegian Ministry of Defense
An important competitive advantage was the readiness of the Lockheed-Martin company not only to sell finished equipment, but also to attract the customer to its production. Thanks to this, the Finnish side receives a kind of guarantee of meeting its needs, and the American side acquires a new lucrative contract.
Political issues should not be forgotten either. The USA and Finland are interested in mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, incl. in the field of defense and security. The pending contract for the F-35A will allow the two countries to improve such relations - and to obtain known benefits. At the same time, plans to launch production at Finnish sites show the possibility of long-term fruitful cooperation.
The purchase of the F-35 will facilitate interaction with other countries within the framework of existing international military programs. A number of European NATO countries are planning or are already in the process of switching to such aircraft. Accordingly, in international operations, the Finnish F-35A will interact with the same type of foreign aircraft, which will give obvious advantages.
Airplanes of the future
Thus, Finland chose a new fighter, and at the same time determined the future of its Air Force for the next 40 years. In the coming years, it will carry out the necessary preparatory measures, and in the second half of the decade, a full-fledged process of rearmament will begin with the development of serial F-35A aircraft. Their operation will continue until the early sixties or beyond.
Whether it will be possible to carry out all these plans without difficulties and problems will become known in the future. In the meantime, it is clear that Finland intends to continue the development of its armed forces in general and combat aviation in particular. In the absence of its own engineering and production capabilities, it turns to third countries for help and at the same time tries to get the maximum benefits in all areas. Now hopes of this kind are pinned on the American fighter, and it is quite possible that it will justify them.
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