and if they’re ever employed in anger, their opponents will be FINISHED!
Darn, I thought we were going to sell Finland. Pay off some of our debts.
We can trust the Finns. They have sissu.
In 2007, Finland wanted Lockheed Martin’s stealthy AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles, in order to arm its F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters. Despite a history of good relations, in 2007, the US State Department said no.
Fast forward to 2008. The Russian invasion of Georgia, and Germany’s response, upset more than a few calculations in the region. As NATO weakens, the Nordic nations appear to be moving toward an informal defense compact of their own. Finland, whose memories of Russian invasion are still vivid, repeated its request for stealthy cruise missiles – with 2 alternative buys waiting in the wings. In 2011, Finland finally got what it wanted…
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Finland-to-Buy-Cruise-Missiles-for-its-Hornets-05370/
I can't say that enough times to satisfy myself.
Oct 31/11: Stingers for Finland? The US DSCA announces [PDF] Finland’s official request to buy the latest model FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air defense missiles, and associated equipment. At this stage, there are no reports confirming that the Stinger has been picked over the other contenders. As such, it’s possible that the request is just a way to ensure sales clearance, and hence the Stinger’s eligibility for the competition. If Finland does in fact choose the Stinger and signs a contract, the request involves:
600 FIM-92 Stinger Reprogrammable Micro-Processor (RMP) Block 1 Anti-Aircraft missiles
10 Stinger Block 1 Production Verification Flight Test missiles
110 Gripstock Block 1 Control Groups. These are the carryable launchers.
110 Night Sights
1827 Battery Coolant Units
2 GCU-31A/E Gas Charging Units
16 Tracking Head Trainers (THT) and metal containers
50 Field Handling Trainers (FHT) and metal containers
1 Stinger Troop Proficiency Trainer
1 Launch Simulator
Plus refurbishment, upgrades, spare and repair parts, tools and tool sets, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical data, and other forms of U.S. Government and contractor support.
The estimated cost is up to $330 million, and the prime contractor would be Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ. Implementation would require 10 U.S. Government or contractor representatives to travel to Finland for a period of 8 weeks for equipment checkout and training.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Finland-Updating-Its-Air-Defense-Systems-05398/