Finland selects Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II aircraft.

According to a press release published by Lockheed Martin on December 10, 2021, the Finnish Government has announced Lockheed Martin's 5th Generation F-35 Lightning II is the aircraft selected from its HX Fighter Program.

Follow Air Recognition on Google News at this link

Finnish Air Force testing F-35 Lightning II aircraft (Picture source: Finnish Army)

The Finnish Air Force will receive 64 F-35A multirole stealth fighters, a robust weapons package, a sustainment solution tailored to Finland's unique security of supply requirements, as well as a comprehensive training program.

To date, the F-35 operates from 21 bases worldwide, with nine nations operating F-35s on their home soil. There are more than 730 F-35s in service today, with more than 1,535 pilots and 11,500 maintainers trained on the aircraft.

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.

To preserve its stealth shaping, the F-35 has two internal weapons bays with four weapons stations. The two outboard weapon stations each can carry ordnance up to 2,500 lb (1,100 kg), or 1,500 lb (680 kg) for F-35B, while the two inboard stations carry air-to-air missiles.