Finland’s HX program takes next step

The Finnish government has issued a request for quotation (RfQ) to four nations in order to find potential bidders for Helsinki’s HX fighter replacement programme.
Finland has requested bids from France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, all of which responded to the request for information that was issued in 2016.
Those bidding for the replacement of the Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet are Boeing with its upgraded F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; Dassault with the Rafale; Eurofighter with the Typhoon; Saab with the Gripen; and Lockheed Martin with the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.
The government is seeking 64 aircraft with weapons and sensors, alongside support, training systems, and spares.
“To reduce the risk involved in the integration of different systems, the tenderers are requested to provide comprehensive solutions meeting the operational requirements,” the government said in a statement.
Finland will begin to phase out its Hornet fleet from 2025, and a selection of the replacement is expected to be made in 2021.
The next phase following the RfQ issue is to begin in the second half of 2019, when final offers will be negotiated with each of the bidders. The final quotations would be requested in 2020, the government said.
The bids will be assessed based on the ability to meet five military scenarios: counter-air; counter-land; counter-sea; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and long-range strike.
janes

Finland Plans To Replace F-18C/D Fleet with at Least 64 New Fighter Jets

Finland's Ministry of Defence plans to send out invitations to tender for the purchase of 64 new fighter jets. The new jets will replace the current stock of 64 F/A-18 Hornet jets, which have served the Finnish military since 1992.
The defence report, which was approved by the Parliament in February, says that the readiness of the current fleet must be fully maintained after the procurement.
"We have interpreted that to mean 64 fighter jets. Because the new jets are not faster and can't stay up in the air any longer than the current ones, we will require the same number of jets to maintain the performance of our air defence", says Lauri Puranen from the Ministry.
"That is the minimum number we need to defend a country of this size."
Parliament has decided that it will spend between 7 and 10 billion euros the new jets, which will make the acquisition the most purchase by Finland ever.
The ministry said it will send out invitations to tender in early 2018 to Boeing and Lockheed Martin from the US, Saab from Sweden, Dessault Aviation in France and the British-European BAE Systems.
The new government taking up office in 2019 will make a decision about purchasing fighter jets to replace the current stock of Hornet jets at the end of 2021. The current fleet will be retired by 2030.
In August President Donald Trump caused a minor controversy when he announced during a joint press conference with President Sauli Niinistö that Finland was buying fighter jets from the US. That claim was denied by Niinistö later on Twitter.
learn more

Finland suspects Spanish fighter jets of airspace violation

The Finnish Ministry of Defence reported on Tueday that it suspects two Spanish F-18 fighter jets of having violated Finnish airspace.
According to the Ministry of Defence's report, the airpace violation took place over the Gulf of Finland south of Upinniemi at approximately 9 a.m. on Tuesday, reported Finnish public broadcaster Yle (link in Finnish).
The Finnish Border Guard is investigating the incident.
Five F/A-18 Hornets of the 15th Wing of the Spanish Air Force have been stationed in Estonia since Spain took over the rotating Baltic Air Policing mission based out of Ämari Air Base this May.

Spain looking into Patriot Upgrade, Sweden, Romania, Finland and Turkey Potential Customers

According to Raytheon, Japan, Spain and Greece are looking into upgrading their Patriot systems while Sweden, Romania, Czech Republic and Finland are potential new customers in addition to Poland and Turkey.
Poland announced in the spring of 2015 that it had picked Patriot for its new air and missile defense program, called Wisla. Lockheed was also in the running but the Polish government excluded it from the competition because MEADS was not yet a fielded system.Germany and the MEADS team have since begun working to mint a continuing development contract while looking for more countries to partner with.
Raytheon and Sweden have been talking about them for the past year.
Romania, Czech Republic and Finland are further behind but have expressed interest. Belgium has also shown an interest.

F-15s to Finland as USAF boosts Europe deployments to deter Russia

On the books for the Air Force this year is its first F-15 deployment to Finland in coming months. Six fighter jets and around 100 airmen from the 173rd Fighter Wing, Oregon National Guard, will visit the neighboring-Russia nation in May.
The Air Force may also expect an F-22 deployment, the second since four F-22s deployed to Germany, Poland and Estonia in 2015, which was the Raptor’s first theater security package to Europe.
airforcetimes

Finland kicks-off F/A-18 replacement process

Finland has notified five manufacturers of its intention to seek bids for its HX fighter-replacement programme, which will see it replace its 61-strong Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet.
On 16 December, the Finnish ministry of defence notified the governments of France, Sweden, the UK and the USA that it will be seeking information on seven aircraft types from five different manufacturers.
Requests for information (RFI) will be issued by March 2016, Finland says, which will include the Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale, Saab Gripen, Boeing F-18 and F-15, and Lockheed Martin F-35 and F-16.
Replies to the RFI are to be submitted to Helsinki by the end of October 2016, with the contest to be launched in “spring 2018”, followed by a selection in 2021.
HX was introduced in October after a working group recommended the F-18s be replaced with new multi-role fighters, concluding extending the life of the Hornet fleet would not be cost-effective.
flightglobal

Finland receives final NH90 helicopter

Finland received into service the last of its 20 NH90 helicopters.
The helicopter was handed over to the Finnish Defence Forces during a ceremony at Patria's domestic production facility.
Finland signed its contract for the 20 NH90 TTH helicopters in 2001, as a part of a common acquisition programme with Sweden and Norway to replace its ageing fleet of Mil Mi-8 'Hip' transport helicopters.
The first helicopter for Finland made its maiden flight, in 2004. Deliveries were due to be complete in 2010, but were set back by programmatic delays.
janes

Finland Air Force intercepted Russian IL-76 suspected of violating its Airspace

Finland Air Force F-18 Hornet fighters were scrambled Friday afternoon when it is believed that a Russian IL-76 military transport aircraft violated Finnish airspace south of the coast town of Porvoo.
The suspected violation took place at around 2:15 PM on Friday. The Russian aircraft was identified and photographed by Finnish Air Force fighters sent to investigate.
Finland Border Guard is investigating the incident as a possible violation of the nation's airspace.
This was the second incident of its kind this year. The first involved a Polish aircraft. Last year, there were five confirmed violations of Finland's airspace. Five of those were by Russian planes.
yle.fi

Fighter jet exercise kicks off in Norway

One of Europe’s largest fighter jet exercises kicked off Monday north of the Arctic Circle, a region where growing Russian activity has sparked concerns among neighboring countries.
Arctic Challenge 2015 brings together close to 100 fighter jets and more than 4,000 individual participants from nine nations, according to Norway’s military, which is hosting the exercise. Twelve USAF F-16 fighters will take part in the 12-day event, as will several of NATO’s early warning aircraft, known as AWACS.
The drills aim to smooth coordination among allies operating in a region stretching from northern Norway across Sweden to Finland. It comes at a time of growing Russian air activity in the region, which is adjacent to Russian territory.
Arctic Challenge was last held in 2013. This year’s event is one of a series of bulked-up military exercises being held across northern Europe in response to increased Russian military activity.
Non-NATO members Sweden and Finland are participating more frequently in those exercises and training, as a consequence of increased tensions in the area.
Other participants in the exercise include Britain, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland, another non-NATO nation.
stripes

Norway Reverts to Cold War Mode as Russian Air Patrols Spike

From his command post burrowed deep into a mountain of quartz and slate north of the Arctic Circle, the 54-year-old commander of the Norwegian military’s operations headquarters watches time flowing backward, pushed into reverse by surging Russian military activity redolent of East-West sparring during the Cold War.
“It is more or less the same as when I started,” said General Lunde, who began his career tracking Soviet warplanes as a Norwegian Air Force navigator in the early 1980s.
After a long hiatus following the December 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, when Moscow grounded its strategic bombers for lack of fuel, spare parts and will to project power, President Vladimir V. Putin’s newly assertive Russia “is back to normal behavior,” General Lunde said.
Last year, Norway intercepted 74 Russian warplanes off its coast, 27 percent more than in 2013, scrambling F-16 fighters from a military air base in Bodo to monitor and photograph them. This is far fewer than the hundreds of Soviet planes Norway tracked off its coast at the height of the Cold War. However, last year’s total was a drastic increase from the 11 Russian warplanes Norway spotted 10 years earlier.
“Russia has created uncertainty about its intentions, so there is, of course, unpredictability,” Norway’s defense minister, Ine Eriksen Soreide, said in an interview in Oslo, adding that the military was being restructured to deal better with new risks, particularly in the Arctic.
Nobody expects Russia to invade. So far, its warplanes have taken care not to stray into Norwegian airspace, unlike in the Baltics, where they regularly violate borders.
But the spike in Russian military activity along Norway’s coast has added an unexpected measure of verisimilitude to a new television thriller called “Occupied,” which, based on an idea by Norway’s pre-eminent crime writer, Jo Nesbo, explores how the country would respond to conquest by Russia. The multipart series is scheduled to air in September. When Mr. Nesbo first proposed the idea years ago, he was told it was much too far-fetched.
Russian air activity along the borders of NATO, the northern parts of which are patrolled by fighters based in Bodo, increased 50 percent from 2013 to last year, according to the alliance. At the same time, Russia sharply increased so-called snap military exercises, training maneuvers that, in violation of established procedure, were either announced at the last minute or kept secret.
nytimes

JASSMs To Equip Polish F-16s

Poland has signed a deal with Lockheed AGM-158 joint air-to-surface standoff missiles (JASSMs) for its fleet of 48 F-16 fighter jets.
Poland joins Australia and Finland as the third non-US country to acquire the missiles. The foreign military sale was approved by the US Congress in October.
The missiles will be delivered to Poland’s military from 2016 to 2019. The Polish Air Force will reach initial operational capability with the weapon in March 2017.
defensenews

Finnish Air Force reports intense Russian activity in Baltic

The Finnish Air Force revealed on Tuesday that unusually intense Russian activity has been detected over the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea in general during a major military exercise by the Russian Armed Forces.
The activity was first detected on 6 December and has continued between Sunday and Tuesday. It remains unknown when the exercise is scheduled to end.
Finnish Minister of Defence, estimated on Tuesday that the activity is clearly a show of force by Russia.
The activity has prompted the Finnish Air Force to step up its air-policing operations by, for example, adjusting the number of Hornet jets on stand-by at several airbases. Nato has similarly bolstered its efforts to monitor the airspace of Sweden and the Baltic countries.
The activity is unusual also in light of the number and types of aircraft detected in the region.
The detected detachments have included bombers, stealth and interceptor jets as well as transport aircraft.
Perhaps the most unusual aircraft is Tupolev Tu-95.
None of the aircraft have violated Finnish airspace.
The aircrafts have been moving between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad, back and forth.
In addition to the Tupolev Tu-95, Finnish jets have identified Tupolev Tu-22M bombers as well as Suhoi Su-27 and MiG-31 jets. Suhoi Su-24 and Suhoi Su-34 jets as well as Ilyushin Il-76 and Antonov An-26 multi-purpose aircraft have also been detected over the Baltic Sea.
helsinkitimes

Two F-16 Netherlands fighters intercept Russian plane over Baltic Sea

Two Dutch F16 fighter jets, part of a NATO force patrolling the skies above the Baltic states, intercepted a Russian Ilyushin transport aircraft flying near Estonian and Lithuanian air space, the Netherlands said on Thursday.
After the interception, which took place late on Wednesday, the Ilyushin flew off in the direction of the Russian city of Kaliningrad, russian exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania, both NATO members as are the other two Baltic states Estonia and Latvia.
The Dutch defence ministry said in a statement the Ilyushin had been flying in international air space but had been intercepted when it approached the air space of the two countries without filing a flight plan.
It said the plane did not intrude into their air space as an earlier ministry statement had said.
Russia's defence ministry also made clear the plane had remained in international air space.
Last month, NATO said it had conducted more than 100 intercepts of Russian aircraft this year, about three times as many as in 2013, amid sharply increased tensions between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.
The Western military alliance has recently reported increased levels of Russian military activity in the skies above the Baltic Sea. Last month, Norway scrambled F-16s to track four Russian bombers.
President Vladimir Putin has committed to reinvigorating Russia's armed forces, which had been undermined by the economic troubles that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. He denies any aggression towards NATO.
Members of the U.S.-led NATO alliance have stepped up their vigilance since the Ukraine crisis erupted earlier this year.
On Thursday the defence ministers of Britain, the three Baltic states and four Nordic countries - NATO members Norway and Denmark and neutral Finland and Sweden - agreed to step up cooperation on intelligence and air force training to counter Moscow's increased activity in northern Europe.
reuters

Finland begins study on new fighter aircraft

Finland's replacement for its Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fleet is expected to cost the country about EUR6 billion.
Finland's Ministry of Defence launched an exploratory working group in early October to examine maintenance and performance capabilities of potential candidates. Options for modernising the current fleet, acquired in 1995, to enable operations beyond 2030 are also to be examined.
If the country opts to procure a new platform, decommissioning the current Hornet fleet is expected to begin in 2025, with the last aircraft leaving active duty in 2030.
The working group's report is to be completed by mid-2015.
janes

Finland to replace F-18 Hornet fleet

The Ministry of Defence has commissioned a working group to investigate what type of air defence system Finland needs in the future. Replacing the aging Hornet fighter fleet will cost an estimated 6 billion euros. Owing to the hefty price tag, the working group is also looking to see whether its possible to upgrade the existing fleet, which has been in service since 1995.
yle.fi

Finland boosts aircraft readiness following Russian incursions

In response to heightened tensions caused by the crisis in Ukraine, the Finnish Air Force has stepped up and strengthened its aerial drills on 6 October.
Air-to-air combat drills are to take place from Rovaniemi, Oulu, Kuopio-Rissala, and Pudasjärvi air force bases in the north, while surveillance sorties are concentrating in the south.
Operational reforms have enabled an increase of 20% more annual training flights. The Finns are now conducting three sorties daily with between 6 and 10 aircraft, rather than its usual 4 to 8 aircraft.
The drills are to include a high proportion of night flying, as well as refuelling over the Baltic Sea, over which airspace violations have been recently mounting.
In August there were three airspace incursions by Russian aircraft, after which the Finnish government publicly confirmed the violations, having previously pursued a more low-key approach.
In September Finnish Boeing F/A-18 Hornet fighter-interceptor jets were scrambled without incursion confirmation; concurrently, however, a multi-aircraft Russian reconnaissance incursion was confirmed by Latvian armed forces.
janes

Finland Customs clear missiles shipment from Vietnam to Ukraine

Finnish Customs say it would clear a shipment of air-to-air missiles that belonged to Vietnam to its intended destination in Ukraine.
Finnish Customs says that the missile components shipment it seized in June was on its way to be serviced in Ukraine. The shipment was part of regular military cooperation protocols.
Customs said that the consignment contained surface-to-air missile guidance systems, which are classified as defense armaments in Finland.
The parts, weighing at slightly over one tonne and en route from Vietnam via Hong Kong, were confiscated on June 24 and were on their way to be repaired in Ukraine.
yle.fi

Finnish jets were unable to respond to Russian airspace violations

Commander-in-chief of the Finnish Defence Forces, has in an interview with YLE that confirmed that fighter jets of the Finnish Air Force were unable to respond to the violations of Finnish airspace by two Russian aircraft on 20 May.
The jets were not on standby due to attempts to reduce the backlog of overtime and were only able to respond to the violations four hours after the detection.
A few hours after the intrusions, also a third Russian aircraft was detected approaching the southern coast of Finland, but it was intercepted by two jets deployed by the Karelia Air Command.
helsinkitimes

Finnish jets scrambled to intercept Russian planes

Tensions along the European Union border with Russia are high and increasing. The Finish Air Force had to scramble two jets over the Gulf of Finland after two Russian aircraft entered Finland's airspace without permission.
The information was confirmed by the Finnish Defence Ministry. A Russian state aircraft entered Finnish airspace after 6 P.M.
The Russian planes entered Finnish air space within two hours of each other and they were not commercial aircraft. Finnish fighter jets were scrambled to carry out a reconnaissance flight over the Gulf of Finland where the intrusion happened.
People living in Eastern Uusimaa could hear the sonic boom created by the Finnish jets. Finland and Russia share a common 1,300 kilometer land border.
beyluxe

Nordic Nations Navigate Hurdles to NH90 Purchases

Nordic nations have struggled with their much-delayed Nordic Standard Helicopter Program (NSHP), especially since capability shortages have appeared since 2010 in combat, troop transport and medical evacuation missions.
Under an agreement reached in 2001, NHIndustries was contracted to deliver 52 twin-engine NH90 utility helicopters to Sweden, Finland and Norway starting in 2004 and 2005.
By the end of 2010, just four NH90s had been delivered to Sweden and Norway. Deliveries were further complicated when the three Nordic customers opted not to purchase a common helicopter type, choosing instead to request customized features prior to delivery.
In the case of Sweden, serial postponements provoked a critical shortage of tactical and transport aircraft for operations in Afghanistan after 2008. The crisis forced the government to allocate special funds to purchase 15 Sikorsky Aircraft UH-60M Black.
This was envisioned as a stopgap measure to ensure the armed forces had sufficient aircraft available for both domestic and international operations until the NH90s arrived.
Sweden ordered 18 NH90s with an option for a further seven under the 2001 NSHP agreement. Finland placed orders for 20 NH90s while Norway’s requirement was 14 helicopters with an option to purchase an additional 10.
The Sweden's acquisition of Black Hawks, the first batch of which have supported Swedish troops in Afghanistan since November, has reduced pressure on the Swedish Air Force to meet the need to release combat-ready helicopters for overseas missions.
The Defense Ministry’s decision to buy Black Hawks followed inconclusive talks with NHIndustries, which was unable to confirm fixed NH90 delivery dates.
Six Black Hawks were delivered in 2011 and the remaining nine in 2012. The first two were delivered December 2011. All 15 Black Hawks are expected to be fully operational by 2017.
Sweden became the first European country to acquire the US Army’s UH-60M.
The first two Black Hawks entered service in Afghanistan during the first half of 2013, attached to the Swedish military base at Camp Marmal supporting or replacing Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma.
Despite the protracted delivery schedule, Sweden plans to complete the NH90 acquisition, which comprises 13.
Difficulties in securing delivery of the NH90 also limited the Norwegian Defense Force’s ability to maintain a ready supply of modern helicopters for domestic and international missions in 2010 to 2012.
In June 2012, Norway’s MoD signaled that it might cancel the NH90 order and was reported to have contacted Sikorsky regarding a possible accelerated purchase of the MH-60 Seahawk ASW as an alternative.
But NHIndustries delivered a second NH90 NFH in December 2012, easing the situation. The first was delivered in December 2011.
The NH90 segment of Norway’s helicopter modernization program is based on 14 units bought, and additional 10 options. When fully operational in 2017 to 2018, the NH90 NFHs will replace the currently Royal Norwegian Navy’s multirole Bell, Lynx and Sea King SAR.
Finland, too, has encountered delivery delays in its order of 20 NH90 tactical transport helicopters.
Under revised schedule, initial deliveries will be completed by the end of this year, some six years behind schedule. Completion of the full delivery program has been extended to 2018.
Denmark also has been strengthening its heli-capability through a program, which will see the Royal Danish Air Force acquire nine Sikorsky/Lockheed Martin MH-60R Seahawks. The aircraft, which will replace Lynx 90B helicopters.
Routed through the US Foreign Military Sales program, the MH-60R acquisition is intended to support the Danish plan to deploy more ship-borne helicopters on vessels operating in Denmark’s Arctic territories, covering the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
defensenews