Finland Picks Lockheed’s F-35A for $11B Fighter Procurement Program

Finland has selected Lockheed Martin‘s (NYSE: LMT) F-35A Lightning II through an open competition for the country’s approximately $11.3 billion HX fighter program.

The company said Friday it will provide 64 fighter jets, weapons, training and sustainment support services to the Finnish air force.

“The F-35 will provide Finnish industries unique digital capabilities that leverage 5th Generation engineering and manufacturing. The production work will continue for more than 20 years, and the F-35 sustainment work will continue into the 2070s,” said Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of the F-35 program at Lockheed.

Lauderdale noted the company looks forward to partnering with Finland’s defense industry and defense forces to advance F-35 delivery and sustainment efforts.

The Finnish government said its parliament approved a $10.61 billion budget to replace aging Hornet planes with the Lockheed-made jet and a $653.8 million transferable allocation over a five-year period.

Other offerings the European country considered for its fighter jet program were Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen.

Finland said it expects to receive the first F-35As in Block 4 configuration by 2026 and replace its Hornet fleet between 2028 and 2030. The F-35 package also includes AMRAAM, JDAM-family weaponry, Sidewinder, SDB I and II and JSM and JASSM-ER missiles.

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