Finland Signs Letter of Offer and Acceptance to Buy 64 F-35 Jets

The Finland Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced it concluded the procurement contracts for F-35A Lightning II fighters to replace the Air Force’s ageing Hornet fleet.

The Finnish Defence Forces’ Logistics Command was authorised to conclude procurement contracts for the F-35 system and air-to-air weapons while the MoD was authorised to sign an agreement on industrial participation for the HX fighter programme with Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, the engine manufacturer.

On February 11, Major General Kari Renko, Chief of the Defence Forces Logistics Command, signed in Tampere the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) on F-35A and their maintenance services, the MoD said.

The procurement contracts include the deliveries of 64 multi-role fighters in 2025-30 that represent the F-35A Block 4 configuration, aircraft engines and maintenance equipment, systems, spare parts, replacement equipment, training equipment and servicing needed for use and maintenance. The agreements include F-35 type training for the Defence Forces’ flying and technical personnel.

After the procurement of aircraft and maintenance services, LOA documents will be signed during 2022 on the procurement of air-to-air weapons, the Sidewinder and AMRAAM missiles. In accordance with the procurement proposal submitted to the Government in December 2021, the agreements on procuring air-to-ground and air-to-surface weapons will be made later. This will ensure that the weapon composition can be optimised, for example in terms of the number and types of weapons, so that Finland will have a high-performance F-35 system when entering the 2030s.

Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen signed an agreement on industrial participation on Friday 11 February 2022 in Helsinki. The agreement was concluded with the fighter manufacturer Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, the engine manufacturer and member of the Raytheon technologies group.

The industrial participation obligation is based on a decision made by the Minister of Defence in April 2018 which stated that the value of industrial cooperation should be at least 30% of the actual contract price. The industrial participation solution in the F-35 system met the requirements of the HX Fighter Programme set for industrial participation.