UK outlines final Eurofighter offering for Finland
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29th April 2021
On behalf of the Eurofighter consortium, the UK has outlined the best and final offer (BAFO) in its Typhoon proposal for Finland, which seeks to procure a new multi-role fighter to replace its ageing Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet.
The BAFO for this UK-led proposal in Finland’s highly anticipated HX Fighter replacement programme was submitted on April 29. While led by the UK, the offer has also been endorsed by the governments, air forces and defence industries of Germany, Italy and Spain – which make up the core nations of the Eurofighter consortium.
F/A-18 Hornet and KC-135 Stratotanker. Photo: Finnish Air Force.
Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornets will train with a United States Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft from 9 to 10 February 2021.
The Finnish Air Force conducts an air-to-air refueling (AAR) exercise with the United States Air Force two times a year. The objective of the exercises is to provide fighter pilots with AAR proficiency and currency training opportunities. Finnish F/A-18 pilots complete an AAR qualification as a part of their training.
Lapland Air Command will carry out the first AAR exercise of 2021 in cooperation with the United States Air Force’s 100th Air Refueling Wing (100 ARW) based at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom. In total, the exercise will involve 8–14 Finnish F/A-18 Hornet multi-role fighters and a U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker.