The Finnish government says it has decided to replace its old F / A-18 defense systems with US F-35 fighter jets and is concluding a $ 9.4 billion contract with Lockheed Martin.

The Finnish Ministry of Defense said on Friday that Lockheed Martin would deliver 64 fighter jets to Helsinki under the agreement.

The American company won a tender held by the Finnish government, in which it defeated several companies, including Sub-Sweden, Boeing USA, British Baie Systems, as well as Dassalt France.

Under the agreement, the US company has assumed responsibility for the supply, logistics, services and maintenance of these fighters until 2030, and the value of this contract is estimated at 8.378 billion euros, equivalent to about 9.44 billion dollars.

€ 777 million will also be added to this base amount for the construction of the shed and other equipment. In addition, € 824 million will be added to the main contract for the optimized weapons package.

“When we compare military performance, F-35 fighter jets best meet our defense needs,” Finnish Defense Minister Antikykonen told a news conference with the prime minister on Friday.

The country’s military planners are said to have worked on the deal since 2015. When the Finnish Ministry of Defense announced that it was looking for a new fighter jet for the old McDonnell Douglas models, which has been operating in the country’s defense fleet since 1992. McDonnell Douglas is now part of the larger US company Boeing.
Finland is now the 14th country to select and use the F-35 fighter system.