Finland to possibly order F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers with associated weapons.

The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Finland of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft and weapons and related equipment for an estimated cost of $14.7 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on Oct. 9, 2020. The proposed sale will replace Finland's retiring F/A-18C/D Hornets and enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capability.

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A Finnish Air Force F-18C Hornet takes off from Orland Air Station, Norway during exercise Trident Juncture 18 on Oct. 31, 2018 (Picture source: U.S. Air Force/TSgt Brian Kimball)

The Government of Finland has requested to buy 50 F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft; 8 F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft; 14 EA-18G Growler aircraft; 166 F414-GE-400 engines (144 installed and 22 spares); 500 GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) All-Up Round (AUR); 12 GBU-53/B SDB II Guided Test Vehicles (GTV); 12 GBU-53/B SDB II Captive Carry Reliability Trainers; 150 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Tactical Missiles; 32 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs); 30 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder Tactical Guidance Units; 8 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder CATM Guidance Units; 160 AGM-154C-1 Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW); 200 AGM-158B-2B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range All Up Rounds (JASSM ER AUR); 2 AGM-158B-2 JASSM Separation Test Vehicles (STV); 2 AGM-158B-2 JASSM Instrumented Test Vehicles (ITV); 2 AGM-158B-2 JASSM Jettison Test Vehicles (JTV); 2 AGM-158B-2 Inert Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) with Telemetry Instrumental Kits; 2 AGM-158B-2 JASSM Maintenance Training Missiles (DATM); 120 BLU-117B/B 2000LB GP Bombs; 120 KMU-556F/B Bomb Tail Kits (JDAM); 300 FMU-139D/B Fuzes; 2 KMU-556(D-2)/B Trainers (JDAM); 30 BLU-109C/B 2000LB Bombs; 30 KMU-557F/B Bomb Tail Kits (JDAM); 2 BLU-109(D-1)/B 2000LB Bombs; 102 BLU-111B/B 500LB General Purpose Bombs; 102 KMU-572F/B JDAM Bomb Tail Kits; 6 MK-82-0,1 500LB, General Purpose Bombs, Inert; 51 BLU-110B/B 1000LB General Purpose Bombs; 50 KMU-559F/B Bomb Tail Kits; 58 M61A2 20MM Gun Systems; 32 Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared (ATFLIR); 32 Sniper Targeting Pods; 14 Advanced Electronic Attack Kit for EA-18G; 65 AN/ALR-67(V)3 Electric Warfare Countermeasures Receiving Sets; 65 AN/ALQ-214 Integrated Countermeasures Systems; 74 Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems – Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS JTRS); 89 Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS); 377 LAU-127E/A Guided Missile Launchers; 74 AN/AYK-29 Distributed Targeting Processor – Networked (DTP-N); 25 Infrared Search and Track (IRST) Systems; 8 Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) sets.

Also included are AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars; High Speed Video Network (HSVN) Digital Video Recorder (HDVR); AN/AVS-9 Night Vision Goggles (NVG); AN/AVS-11 Night Vision Cueing Devices (NVCD); AN/ALE-47 Electronic Warfare Countermeasures Systems; AN/ARC-210 Communication System; AN/APX-111 Combined Interrogator Transponder; AN/ALE-55 Towed Decoys; Launchers (LAU-115D/A, LAU-116B/A, LAU118A); AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening Targeting Pod; Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS); Accurate Navigation (ANAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) Navigation; Aircraft Armament Equipment (AAE); Aircraft Ferry transportation; Foreign Liaison Officer (FLO) Support; Auxiliary Fuel Tanks, FMU-139D(D-2)/B fuzes; MK84-4 2000LB General Purpose Inert Bombs, MK83 Bomb General Purpose Inert Bombs; KMU-557C(D-2)/B tail kits; KMU-572C(D-2)/B tail kits; Detector Laser DSU-38A/B, Detector Laser DSU-38A(D-2)/B, KMU-559C(D-2)/B load trainer; Wing Release Lanyard Assemblies; AGM-154C-1 JSOW Captive Flight Vehicles, Dummy Air Training Missiles, AGM-154C-1 JSOW mission planning, integration support and testing, munitions storage security and training, weapon operational flight program software development; weapons containers; aircraft and munitions support and test equipment; communications equipment; provisioning, spares and repair parts; weapons repair and return support; personnel training and training equipment; weapon systems software, publications and technical documents; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The total estimated cost is $14.7 billion.

The principal contractors will be The Boeing Company, St. Louis, MO; Northrop Grumman, Los Angeles, CA; Raytheon Company, El Segundo, CA; Raytheon Missile Systems Company, Tucson, AZ; General Electric, Lynn, MA; and Lockheed Martin, Troy, AL.

This proposal is being offered in the context of a competition. If the proposal is accepted, it is expected that offset agreements will be required. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor(s). Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of 6 additional U.S. contractor representatives to Finland on an intermittent basis for a duration of the life of the case to support delivery of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft and provide supply support management, inventory control, and equipment familiarization.