Finland approved to buy 64 F-35s in $12.5B deal

Oct. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department approved a $12.5 billion purchase on Friday by Finland for 64 F-35 fighter planes and associated munitions and equipment.

The approval, a statutory notification to Congress, follows an April request by the Finnish Defense Ministry to buy the planes through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the U.S. Defense Department agency responsible for foreign military sales.

Although Finland is aligned with western military powers and not with its neighbor, Russia, it is not a NATO member.

The list of ordered equipment includes the planes, made by Lockheed Martin; two spare engines; and an assortment of bombs, missiles, electronic warfare and navigational systems, training and support.

The Finnish Air Force currently has 55 F/A-18 Hornets, which it plans to phase out by 2025, and no F-35s, regarded as the most advanced available fighter planes.

The proposed sale "will provide Finland with a credible defense capability to deter aggression in the region and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces" and will "replace Finland's retiring F/A-18s and enhance its air-to-air and air-to-ground self-defense capability," a DSCA statement on Friday said.

Prime U.S. contractors will include Lockheed Martin, Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, Boeing Co. and Raytheon Missiles and Defense.