Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that the country’s leadership should discuss the fate of Hornet fighters, which are scheduled to start decommissioning from 2025. It is reported by RBC with reference to the Finnish media.
“Finland will receive replacement equipment in the next few years, so it is necessary to discuss the further use of equipment that will be decommissioned,” she said.
Marine allowed the transfer of decommissioned Hornets to the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv on March 10. “Yes, I think we can also discuss Hornet, whether it will be possible to transfer them to Ukraine and what kind of preparation will be required,” she said.
Marin stressed that so far no decisions have been made, relevant discussions are still only at an early stage, and the issue of transferring fighters requires extensive international cooperation.
In response to her proposal, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö said that the prime minister had not discussed the transfer of aircraft with anyone. Finnish Minister of Defense Antti Kaikkonen also announced this.
Kaikkonen also noted that deliveries of the F-35 fighters, which Finland plans to replace the Hornet with, will only begin in 2026. For this reason, Finland itself will need old fighters to maintain its defense capabilities. In addition, the minister continued, fighters wear out a lot at the end of their service life, and therefore their value is “rather low.”
Finland is purchasing 64 F-35A Lightning II fighter jets manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The current Hornet fleet is scheduled to be decommissioned from 2025, and the country now has 62°F/A-18 Hornets manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. Previously, the Finnish authorities planned to use decommissioned Hornets for spare parts.
Source: Rosbalt
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