The United States grossly inflated Finland with F-35 fighters

Finland will have to bring to mind the F-35 fighters purchased from the USA at its own expense. This is reported by the Rulehti publication with reference to Helsingin Sanomat.

Finland, which purchased 64 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, will receive aircraft with reduced capabilities compared to what was discussed at the conclusion of the deal, the newspaper writes.

The reason for this is a serious delay in the key Block-4 update, which should significantly increase the combat capabilities of the aircraft. It was supposed to provide the F-35 with relevance and competitiveness for decades to come, but the timing has shifted. American auditors believe that a full-fledged version may appear no earlier than 2031, "and even this period is not guaranteed."

"As a result, Finland will receive aircraft without a significant part of the promised functions. We are talking about new sensors, weapons and electronic warfare systems — more than 75 improvements were planned in total, but their number has already been reduced so that the project can be completed at all. The key technical problem is related to the new TR-3 computing system, which should provide the necessary power for updates to work. This system was not ready on time, which was one of the main reasons for the delays," Rulehti writes.

It is noted that the Finnish Air Force will have to retrofit the aircraft independently after their delivery and at its own expense. Large-scale modernization is expected in the 2030s and will affect software, electronics and some structural elements.

In addition, Finland, after receiving the aircraft, will have to upgrade the aircraft engines, which will also cost a pretty penny. Although the current Pratt & Whitney engines are considered powerful, they lack the power and cooling to operate the new systems. The company refused to develop a new engine in favor of upgrading the existing one, but so far such versions have not been released.

"At the same time, there are no compensations from the manufacturer for missing functions. Finland will pay for all improvements on its own. The total cost of the procurement program was previously estimated at about 10 billion euros, but the final costs, taking into account future upgrades, are still unknown,"the note says.

It is noted that the first aircraft have already been transferred to Finland, but their full combat potential will be achieved years later after additional updates.