Local Media Claims Finland has selected the F-35 as its next fighter

Finland has been working on replacing its F/A-18s with a new fighter. The Electric Bugs are decades old and definitely need a replacement (just ask the US Navy, Canada and Australia). Finland had been running the HX program to find a replacement. The HX program had the F-35, F/A-18E/F, Rafale, Gripen and Eurofighter submitted. Local media is reportedly claiming the F-35 has won.

If this turns out to be the case, it's another win for Lockheed. Those nations who /can/ buy the F-35 seem to do so. Switzerland selected the F-35, for example. Given the Canadians are now down to the F-35 and Gripen, my suspicion is the Canucks will either end up back where they started in the first place (buying the F-35) before politics intervened. Or they may reset *AGAIN* because they ended up with the answer they didn't want.

Despite the naysayers, the F-35 has turned out to be a great aircraft. it does need work on its sustainment, but it keeps winning procurements. Additionally, and more importantly, the F-35 has been praised by those who have to fly into the whirlwind riding her.

Hattip to The Aviationist:

theaviationist.com...

a reply to: anzha

But the F-35 is an over priced, over hyped POS! It can’t even fly after sucking a rain cover down the intake!

a reply to: Zaphod58

Stealth doesn't work either!

That's why other nations aren't developing stealth techno------
Oh.... Wait... Yeah they are...

Nevermind

a reply to: anzha

I think a lot of country’s air forces are coming to the conclusion that in future conflicts there will be two categories of combatants: F-35s, and targets.

originally posted by: 1947boomer
a reply to: anzha

I think a lot of country’s air forces are coming to the conclusion that in future conflicts there will be two categories of combatants: F-35s, and targets.

The problem if they are usually wrong...

World War I planners knew it was trench warfare, it wasn't it was mobility and troop protection of tanks

World War II planners knew it was the battleship, it wasn't it was the airplane and Aircraft carriers, the tanks, blitzkrieg

Vietnam we threw out napalm bombs, and carpet bombing but it was helicopters and guerilla warfare.

In Iraq tanks were huge but the stealth fighters, A-10, cruise missiles, and continuous combat sorties till it ground into an occupation, and then it was the Humvee and intelligence.

Who knows who was paying attention, but Id bet at least China and Russia have the tech to try and counter all of those methods of warfare, Id imagine will see kinetic weapons and lasers used for more than targeting.

I've heard that the F-35 program will be cancelled long before its originally intended life-span. It was supposed to be lightweight and inexpensive, and they ended up with another heavy, expensive, maintenance-hungry headache for everyone involved. Our procurement manager (aerospace manufacturing) was told to expect the program to wind down in the next 4 years.

a reply to: joejack1949

Our procurement manager (aerospace manufacturing) was told to expect the program to wind down in the next 4 years.

That's been rumored for well over a decade. If there is an attempt, it will get refunded by Congress at last until a replacement has gone through prototyping. Too many interests and there has been an inkling of a lesson learned from the post cold war defense wind down (not enough, but the start of it)