The Finnish Air Force plans to procure new aircrafts to replace its current fleet of F/A-18 Hornets. Earlier in April the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Department send a request for information for this acquisition. Among the countries that were contacted are the United States, France, Britain and Sweden. The goal is to have the new fleet of multirole aircraft operational by 2025.
Possible replacements
From the list of countries that were contacted we can deduct that the following types of aircraft are possible candidates: the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and the Gripen.
While the F-35 JSF looks the most promising aircraft it is also the one that is still under development and the F-35 program is known to have had many setbacks in the development phase. It is also the only aircraft in the list that is currently not in service so no real date on the performance is known aside from the data that has been acquired during test flights.
The French Rafale is a proven aircraft that has seen several combat missions, most notably above Libya in 2011 and performs well both in air superiority missions as close air support missions. As such it makes a good replacement for the F/A-18 Hornets that are currently in use by the Finnish Air Force. The F/A-18 Hornet has a primary role for close air support but works also well in gaining air superiority.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is more suited for air superiority but has the capability to deliver close air support in a secondary role. The Eurofighter Typhoon resembles more the US F-16 aircraft in capacity and capability. Should Finland chose the Eurofighter Typhoon than it will operate the same aircraft as Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. As such the Finnish Air Force will be more in touch with the major European Air Forces and in turn this will allow for closer cooperation with European partners.
The last possible aircraft is the Swedish JAS Gripen is a single seat air superiority fighter that also has a capability for close air support. The aircraft is a 4.5 generation fighter and still holds the potential to be further upgraded. The current operators are Sweden, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Strategic and operational factors
Choosing a replacement aircraft depends on several factors. The most important factors are tactical and operational when it comes to aircraft with the strategic needs being of some lesser importance.
From an operational point of view the Finnish Air force is seeking a multirole aircraft that can obtain air superiority and provide close air support. Finland is perceiving Russia as its biggest possible adversary so it will need an aircraft that can hold its own against the Russian Air Force, keeping the skies clear and providing close air support against Russian ground troops.
At the same time the new aircraft must have a long range in order to patrol the long border that Finland shares with Russia. The Finnish geography will also play a role. Most of the Finnish territory are large woods were there are few airfields in case of an emergency. Having a two engine aircraft will be a wise decision allowing the aircraft to return to an airfield in case of a bird strike or an engine failure. Canada for its part rejected the F-35 JSF because of the fact that it was not a two engine aircraft citing that in case of a bird strike or engine failure the plane should be able to return back on a second engine.
Finland is also looking to change its neutral stance into a more non-aligned one. As such it is seeker for a closer military cooperation with other nations in order to create a bigger deterrent against a more aggressive Russia. If this is indeed the case then it is possible that Finland will choose either the Eurofighter Typhoon if it wants a closer cooperation with many European Air Forces or the Swedish JAS Gripen aircraft in order to strengthen the bond with Sweden.
Choosing the JAS Gripen will bring Sweden and Finland closer together on the military level. Already the two countries share the same strategic outlook, namely preserving their neutral/non-aligned stance in the Baltic Region. Sweden and Finland also are looking to cooperate together in the maritime domain by integrating their naval forces. Choosing for the Jas Gripen will aid the mutual Finnish and Swedish aerial cooperation as both countries operate the same aircraft making planning, operations and logistics easier between these two nations.
Conclusion
The choice for a new aircraft for the Finnish Air Force remains open and no decision has so far been taken. The new aircraft is expected to be in service by 2025 and this gives the Finnish government a couple years to look for a replacement for its current fleet of F/A-18 Hornet aircrafts. Some type of planes are already known to be possible candidates but the ultimate choice will depend on both the operational needs as well as the strategic needs the Finnish government will put forwards.
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