According to Hakkanen, the project has “made significant progress” and the air force being created will be capable of “joint operations, both in peacetime and in crisis situations.”
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How many new generation fighters should the Nordic fleet have by 2030?
What fighters has Finland ordered?
When did Sweden and Finland join NATO?
What is the importance of joint air force operations?
During the ministerial meeting in Helsinki, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the Helsinki chairmanship of the Nordic Defense Cooperation (Nordefco), which includes Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland, military commanders from individual countries were also present.
A powerful fleet of fighter planes is being built in Europe
– However, there is still a lot to do, admitted the Finnish minister, pointing out, among other things, on the possibility of joint action across national borders in all circumstances. — This is important for strengthening the deterrence and defense of NATO's northern region, he emphasized.
Finland has ordered 64 new F-35 Lightning II fighters from the USA, which will gradually, from 2026, replace the worn-out F/A-18 Hornet that has been used since the 1990s. Norway has already replaced the F-16 with modern F-35 fighters, and Denmark is in the process of doing so.
It is assumed that by the end of the decade, these three countries will have a total of approximately 140 fifth-generation F-35 fighters in service. In turn, the Swedish Air Force has the potential of domestically produced Saab Jas 39 Gripen fighters, numbering approximately 100, and has ordered more. Iceland, on the other hand, does not have its own air force.
The Nordic Air Force project after Finland and Sweden join NATO (in 2023 and 2024, respectively) is part of the implementation of the northern security architecture and the construction of the so-called “Scandinavian fortress” against the threat from Russia.
