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.
