Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Finnish Air Force shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Finnish Air Force offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Finnish Air Force at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Finnish Air Force? Wrong! If the Finnish Air Force is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Finnish Air Force then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Finnish Air Force? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Finnish Air Force and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Finnish Air Force wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Finnish Air Force then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Finnish Air Force site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Finnish Air Force, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Finnish Air Force, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

The Finnish Air Force (FAF) (Finnish language: Ilmavoimat, Swedish language: Flygvapnet) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of Finnish Rapid Deployment Force for wartime conditions.http://www.ilmavoimat.fi/index_en.php?id=387 As a separate branch of the military, the Finnish Air Force is one of the oldest in the world, having existed since the year 1918.

History to 1945.During the Finnish Civil War the Whites had to rely on foreign support, both with planes and aircraft. The neutral Sweden refused to send men and material, but individual Swedish citizens wanted to help the Finnish Army. The editor of the Swedish daily magazine Aftonbladet, Waldemar Langlet, bought a N.A.B. Albatros aircraft with the funds gathered by the "Finland's friends" organization from the Nordiska Aviatik A.B. factory. This was the first aircraft to arrive from Sweden. It was flown via Haparanda on 25 February 1918 by the Swedish pilots John-Allan Hygerth (who became the first commander of the Finnish Air Force on March 10) and Per Svanbäck. The aircraft made a stop at Kokkola and a forced landing in Jakobstad when the aircraft's engine broke down. The aircraft was later given the designation F 2 in the FAF inventory, where "F" came from the Swedish word "Flygmaskin" (aircraft).Keskinen, Partonen, Stenman 2005.

The Swedish count Eric von Rosen gave the Finnish White government a Thulin Typ D aircraft. Lieutenant Nils Kindberg flew the aircraft to Vaasa on March 6 1918, having von Rosen as a passenger. This aircraft was given against the will of Sweden, and no flight permit had been given, resulting in a 100 kronor fine for Kindberg for leaving the country without permission. This aircraft is considered to be the first aircraft in the Finnish Air Force, since the Finnish Air Force does not consider having existed during the Civil War, since it was only the Red side who flew some aircraft with the help of some Russian pilots. The von Rosen aircraft was given the designation F1. The air force was officially called the "aviation force" for its first years. The birth of the Finnish Air Force was very early: for instance, the Royal Air Force was founded as an independent branch on April 1 1918 and the Swedish Swedish Air Force in 1925.

Von Rosen had painted his personal good luck charm on the Thulin Typ D aircraft, which was a blue swastika. This was to become the insignia of the Finnish Air Force. The white circular background was created when the Finns tried to paint over the Thulin air academy advertisement.Heinonen 1992. The swastika was officially taken into use after an order by Mannerheim on March 18 1918. The FAF had to change the swastika insignia after 1945, due to an Allied Commission decree, where all swastikas had to be abandoned. However, the original swastika can still be found in regimental flags and medals, especially in the air force.

The F.1 aircraft was soon destroyed in an accident, killing its crew. Another disaster on September 7 in the 1920s are however considered a memorial day for the Finnish Air Force's lost pilots.

The Finnish Air Force assigns the matriculation numbers to its aircraft by assigning each type a two-letter code following by dash and an individual aircraft number. The two-letter code refers to the aircraft type name, such as HN for F/A-18 Hornet, DK for Saab J-35 Draken, VN for Valmet Vinka etc.

Winter War 1939-40 The Winter War began on November 30, 1939 by the Soviet Union bombing 21 Finnish municipalities. From the Soviet Union's estimated 5,000 airplanes in 1939 about 700 fighters and 800 medium bombers were brought to Finland for the Red Army's ground forces command. The bombardment of Finnish industry and railways was not efficient.

The Finnish army had 17 bombers and 31 fighters at the beginning of the Winter War. There were 54 liaison aircraft but 20 of them were used only for messengers. The most modern aircraft in the Finnish arsenal were Bristol Blenheim bombers built under license in Finland. The primary fighter aircraft was the Fokker D.XXI, a cheap but maneuverable design with fabric-covered tube fuselage and fixed landing gear. On paper, this force should have been no match for the attacking Soviet Red Air Force.

The Finnish command had learned that the new German Blitzkrieg tactics involved the destruction of enemy aircraft on the ground at their airfields. In order to prevent similar destruction, Finnish planes were decentralized to many different airfields and hidden in forests. Fake targets were made and many airfields also had shrapnel protection for the planes. Soviet air raids on Finnish airfields usually caused little or no damage as a result, and often resulted in interception of the attackers by the Finns as the bombers flew homeward.

The Finnish Air Force shot down 218 Soviet Air planes during the Winter War while losing only 47 to enemy fire. The Finnish anti-aircraft is also said to have shot down 314 enemy planes. 30 Soviet planes were captured -- "kills" which landed more or less intact within Finland and were quickly repaired.

For a complete list of Finnish Air Force units during the Winter War, click List of units of the Finnish Air Force during the Winter War

Continuation War 1941-44 s during the Continuation War.The Finnish Air Force was prepared better for the Continuation War, with 550 planes, though many were considered second-rate and thus "exportable" by their countries of origin. Finland purchased a large number of aircraft during the Winter War, but few of those reached service during the short conflict. Politics also played a factor, since Hitler did not wish to antagonize the Soviet Union by allowing aircraft exports through German-controlled territory during the conflict. New aircraft types were in place by the time hostilities with Russia resumed in 1941. Small numbers of Hawker Hurricanes arrived from England, Morane-Saulnier M.S.406s from France, Fiat G.50s from Italy, a few dozen P-36 Hawk captured by the Germans in France and Norway then sold to Finland, and numerous Brewster B239s from the neutral USA strengthened the FiAF. The FiAF proved capable of holding its own in the upcoming battles with the Red Air Force. Older models, like the Fokker D.XXI and Gloster Gladiator, were replaced in front-line combat units with the new aircraft.

The FiAF's main mission was to achieve air superiority over Finland and prevent Soviet air power from reinforcing their front lines. The fighter squadrons were very successful in the Finnish offensive of 1941. A stripped-down, more maneuverable, and significantly lightened version of the American Brewster B239 "Buffalo" was the FiAF's main fighter until 1943. Results with this fighter were very good, even though the type was considered to be a failure in the US Navy & with British Far East forces. In the Finnish use, the Brewster had a victory rate of 32:1 - 459 kills while losing only 15. German Bf 109s replaced the B239 as the primary front-line fighter of the FiAF in 1943, though the Buffalos continued in secondary roles until the end. Other types, especially the Italian Fiat G.50 and Curtiss Hawk 75 also proved capable in the hands of well-trained Finnish pilots. Various Russian designs also saw action when lightly-damaged "kills" were repaired and made airworthy.

Dornier 17s (received as a gift from Hermann Göring in 1942) and Junkers 88s gave more capacity to the bombing capability of the Finnish Air Force. The bomber units flew assorted missions with varying results, but a large part of their time was spent in training. Thus the bomber squadrons of Flying Regiment 4 were ready for the summer battles of 1944, which included for example the Battle of Tali-Ihantala.

While the FiAF was successful in its mission, the conditions were not easy. Spare parts for the FiAF planes were scarce -- parts from the US (Buffalo & Hawk), Britain (Hurricanes), and Italy (G.50) were unavailable for much of the war. Repairs took often a long time, and the State Aircraft Factory was burdened with restoration/repair of Soviet war booty planes, foreign aircraft with many hours of flight time, and the development of indigenous Finnish fighter types.

Finland was required to expel or intern remaining German forces as part of its peace agreement with the Soviets in mid-1944. As a result, the final air battles are against the retreating Luftwaffe.

The Finnish Air Force did not bomb any civilian targets during either war. Curiously, overflying Soviet towns and bases was also forbidden, as to avoid any unneeded provocations and to spare equipment.

The Finnish Air Force shot down 1621 Soviet air planes while losing 210 own planes during the Continuation war 1941-44 according to Kalevi Keskinen's and Kari Stenman's book "Aerial Victories 1-2". For a complete list of Finnish Air Force units during the Continuation War, click List of units of the Finnish Air Force during the Continuation War

Current aircraft inventory Aircraft Fighters

Advanced trainers

Transport aircraft

Trainer aircraft

Liaison aircraft

Certain aircraft are scheduled for replacement: The Fokker F.27s will continue to serve side-by-side with the C-295Ms but will be replaced in a few years time.. The Hawk Mk.51s and 51A's are to be replaced by new planes of a so far unknown model in the next decade. The Piper PA-31swill be replaced by 8 new liaison aircraft. Tenders have been invited from Pilatus Aircraft, Raytheon Aircraft Company and B-N Group. .

There are also plans to purchase 2-3 larger transport aircraft, to fulfill the requirements for domestic operations and for troop and logistics transports in international operations, as well as to form a tactical reserve for the evacuating of people from hazardous areas. The suggestions range from the Airbus A330 MRTT, Airbus A400M to the C-17 Globemaster III.

Helicopters The Finnish Air Force operated helicopters until the end of the 1990s when all were transferred to the army wing. All helicopters are attached to the Utti Jaeger Regimen't Helicopter Flight at Utti. Helicopter types include Hughes 500D, Hughes 500E, Mil Mi-8, and Mil Mi-8. Twenty NHI NH90 are on order.

UAVs All UAVs are currently operated by the Army's Artillery brigade. The UAV Unit is stationed in Niinisalo. The Army operates the RUAG Ranger. Patria has also developed a Mini-UAV, which has been field tested by the Finnish Army.

=== F-18 Hornet ===The F-18 Hornet is the Finnish Air Force variant of the Boeing Integrated Defense Systems F/A-18 Hornet multi-role attack and fighter jet. It lacks certain avionics, target acquisition and weapon control features, limiting its capability to engage ground targets. The variant is also used by the Swiss Air Force.

The decision to purchase the aircraft (64 in total, with 7 two-seat F-18D models and 57 single-seated F-18C models) was made in 1992, soon after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The original plan was to buy about 40 western fighters and about 20 Soviet fighters due to political reasons, but the collapse of the Soviet Union removed the political reason to also buy Soviet aircraft. The plan changed to 60 single-seat + 7 dual seat fighters of the same type, and the F-18 won the contest. Due to the F-18's high price, the number of fighters to be purchased was decreased by three, to 57+7.

A key goal in the Foreign relations of Finland of that era was to take no action that might be interpreted by the Soviets as a security threat; a weapons purchase of this magnitude certainly applied. Buying only NATO-compatible, United States fighter jets were not possible for Finland before the U.S.S.R.'s collapse.

The primary reason for the lack of ground attack features in the aircraft is the semantic meaning of the word "attack". For example, Finland has Defence Forces, not an army — even the possibility of Finland ever attacking its neighbors is denied on all levels. This made the policy decision to purchase attack aircraft impossible in the nineties aftermath of finlandization, leading to factory reconfiguration of the F/A-18 to the F-18 variant. A similar rationale also led the Swiss Air Force to purchase 34 F-18s in 1991 in aviation. A ban on bombers was also mandated by the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947 of 1947. This ban was later unilaterally rejected by Finland, but it played a part in the original specification and the competition.

It is widely believed that the removed features can be reinstalled with comparative ease if a regional conflict or a similar need so dictates.

The F-18 Hornet is the second U.S. Navy fighter in the Finnish Air Force, following the 1939 purchase of the Brewster Buffalo.

Attack capability upgrade On 7 December 2004 the Finnish Air Force announced that it will reinstall the missing features in order to enable ground attack capability for the Hornets.http://www.mil.fi/ilmavoimat/tiedotteet/896.dsp

The FAF will test the following weapon types:



The proposed program support includes recorders, receivers, devices, systems, APX-111 Combined Interrogator Transponders Mode S, components improvement program, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and other related elements of logistics and program management support. The estimated cost is $300 million.

There has been some advance information that the AARGM won't be approved for Finnish testing, due to US ITAR regulations.

Organisation The Air Force is organised into three commands, each of which operates a fighter squadron:

Headquarters (Jyväskylä-Tikkakoski) Air Support Squadron

C4I Materiel Command

Lapland Air Command (Rovaniemi) Fighter Squadron 11 (Hävittäjälentolaivue 11, HävLLv 11)

Satakunta Air Command (Tampere-Pirkkala) Fighter Squadron 21 (HävLLv 21)

Karelian Air Command (Kuopio-Rissala) Fighter Squadron 31 (HävLLv 31)

of the Finnish Air Force feature the same basic design, with only the distinguishing element in the upper right corner changing from unit to unit. Here, the colour of the Air Force Academy. The colour carries the honours of the Order of the Cross of Liberty (ribbon and point) awarded to the Academy for the valour of its former pupils. The distinguishing element of the Academy consists of wings, overlaid with a propeller and a swastika.

Air Force Academy (Kauhava) Fighter Squadron 41 (HävLLv 41)

Training Squadron

Air Force Air Material Command (Tampere) Flight Test Center (Halli) Aircraft and Weapon Systems School

The three commands are part of the Defence Forces' Readiness formations.

Commanders {| width="60%" style="font-size: 0.95em;"|-|Rank||Name||From||To|-|Captain||Carl Seber|| April 28, 1918, [1918, [1918, [1919, [1919, [1920, [1920, [1926, [1926, [1932||[September 8, 1932, [1945, [1945, [1952, [1952, [1958, [1958, [1964, [1964, [1968, [1969, [1975, [1975, [1987, [1987, [1991, [1991, [1995, [1995, [1998, [1998, [2004, [2005|||-|}

See also

References

External links

The Finnish Air Force (FAF) (Finnish language: Ilmavoimat, Swedish language: Flygvapnet) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of Finnish Rapid Deployment Force for wartime conditions.http://www.ilmavoimat.fi/index_en.php?id=387 As a separate branch of the military, the Finnish Air Force is one of the oldest in the world, having existed since the year 1918.

History to 1945.During the Finnish Civil War the Whites had to rely on foreign support, both with planes and aircraft. The neutral Sweden refused to send men and material, but individual Swedish citizens wanted to help the Finnish Army. The editor of the Swedish daily magazine Aftonbladet, Waldemar Langlet, bought a N.A.B. Albatros aircraft with the funds gathered by the "Finland's friends" organization from the Nordiska Aviatik A.B. factory. This was the first aircraft to arrive from Sweden. It was flown via Haparanda on 25 February 1918 by the Swedish pilots John-Allan Hygerth (who became the first commander of the Finnish Air Force on March 10) and Per Svanbäck. The aircraft made a stop at Kokkola and a forced landing in Jakobstad when the aircraft's engine broke down. The aircraft was later given the designation F 2 in the FAF inventory, where "F" came from the Swedish word "Flygmaskin" (aircraft).Keskinen, Partonen, Stenman 2005.

The Swedish count Eric von Rosen gave the Finnish White government a Thulin Typ D aircraft. Lieutenant Nils Kindberg flew the aircraft to Vaasa on March 6 1918, having von Rosen as a passenger. This aircraft was given against the will of Sweden, and no flight permit had been given, resulting in a 100 kronor fine for Kindberg for leaving the country without permission. This aircraft is considered to be the first aircraft in the Finnish Air Force, since the Finnish Air Force does not consider having existed during the Civil War, since it was only the Red side who flew some aircraft with the help of some Russian pilots. The von Rosen aircraft was given the designation F1. The air force was officially called the "aviation force" for its first years. The birth of the Finnish Air Force was very early: for instance, the Royal Air Force was founded as an independent branch on April 1 1918 and the Swedish Swedish Air Force in 1925.

Von Rosen had painted his personal good luck charm on the Thulin Typ D aircraft, which was a blue swastika. This was to become the insignia of the Finnish Air Force. The white circular background was created when the Finns tried to paint over the Thulin air academy advertisement.Heinonen 1992. The swastika was officially taken into use after an order by Mannerheim on March 18 1918. The FAF had to change the swastika insignia after 1945, due to an Allied Commission decree, where all swastikas had to be abandoned. However, the original swastika can still be found in regimental flags and medals, especially in the air force.

The F.1 aircraft was soon destroyed in an accident, killing its crew. Another disaster on September 7 in the 1920s are however considered a memorial day for the Finnish Air Force's lost pilots.

The Finnish Air Force assigns the matriculation numbers to its aircraft by assigning each type a two-letter code following by dash and an individual aircraft number. The two-letter code refers to the aircraft type name, such as HN for F/A-18 Hornet, DK for Saab J-35 Draken, VN for Valmet Vinka etc.

Winter War 1939-40 The Winter War began on November 30, 1939 by the Soviet Union bombing 21 Finnish municipalities. From the Soviet Union's estimated 5,000 airplanes in 1939 about 700 fighters and 800 medium bombers were brought to Finland for the Red Army's ground forces command. The bombardment of Finnish industry and railways was not efficient.

The Finnish army had 17 bombers and 31 fighters at the beginning of the Winter War. There were 54 liaison aircraft but 20 of them were used only for messengers. The most modern aircraft in the Finnish arsenal were Bristol Blenheim bombers built under license in Finland. The primary fighter aircraft was the Fokker D.XXI, a cheap but maneuverable design with fabric-covered tube fuselage and fixed landing gear. On paper, this force should have been no match for the attacking Soviet Red Air Force.

The Finnish command had learned that the new German Blitzkrieg tactics involved the destruction of enemy aircraft on the ground at their airfields. In order to prevent similar destruction, Finnish planes were decentralized to many different airfields and hidden in forests. Fake targets were made and many airfields also had shrapnel protection for the planes. Soviet air raids on Finnish airfields usually caused little or no damage as a result, and often resulted in interception of the attackers by the Finns as the bombers flew homeward.

The Finnish Air Force shot down 218 Soviet Air planes during the Winter War while losing only 47 to enemy fire. The Finnish anti-aircraft is also said to have shot down 314 enemy planes. 30 Soviet planes were captured -- "kills" which landed more or less intact within Finland and were quickly repaired.

For a complete list of Finnish Air Force units during the Winter War, click List of units of the Finnish Air Force during the Winter War

Continuation War 1941-44 s during the Continuation War.The Finnish Air Force was prepared better for the Continuation War, with 550 planes, though many were considered second-rate and thus "exportable" by their countries of origin. Finland purchased a large number of aircraft during the Winter War, but few of those reached service during the short conflict. Politics also played a factor, since Hitler did not wish to antagonize the Soviet Union by allowing aircraft exports through German-controlled territory during the conflict. New aircraft types were in place by the time hostilities with Russia resumed in 1941. Small numbers of Hawker Hurricanes arrived from England, Morane-Saulnier M.S.406s from France, Fiat G.50s from Italy, a few dozen P-36 Hawk captured by the Germans in France and Norway then sold to Finland, and numerous Brewster B239s from the neutral USA strengthened the FiAF. The FiAF proved capable of holding its own in the upcoming battles with the Red Air Force. Older models, like the Fokker D.XXI and Gloster Gladiator, were replaced in front-line combat units with the new aircraft.

The FiAF's main mission was to achieve air superiority over Finland and prevent Soviet air power from reinforcing their front lines. The fighter squadrons were very successful in the Finnish offensive of 1941. A stripped-down, more maneuverable, and significantly lightened version of the American Brewster B239 "Buffalo" was the FiAF's main fighter until 1943. Results with this fighter were very good, even though the type was considered to be a failure in the US Navy & with British Far East forces. In the Finnish use, the Brewster had a victory rate of 32:1 - 459 kills while losing only 15. German Bf 109s replaced the B239 as the primary front-line fighter of the FiAF in 1943, though the Buffalos continued in secondary roles until the end. Other types, especially the Italian Fiat G.50 and Curtiss Hawk 75 also proved capable in the hands of well-trained Finnish pilots. Various Russian designs also saw action when lightly-damaged "kills" were repaired and made airworthy.

Dornier 17s (received as a gift from Hermann Göring in 1942) and Junkers 88s gave more capacity to the bombing capability of the Finnish Air Force. The bomber units flew assorted missions with varying results, but a large part of their time was spent in training. Thus the bomber squadrons of Flying Regiment 4 were ready for the summer battles of 1944, which included for example the Battle of Tali-Ihantala.

While the FiAF was successful in its mission, the conditions were not easy. Spare parts for the FiAF planes were scarce -- parts from the US (Buffalo & Hawk), Britain (Hurricanes), and Italy (G.50) were unavailable for much of the war. Repairs took often a long time, and the State Aircraft Factory was burdened with restoration/repair of Soviet war booty planes, foreign aircraft with many hours of flight time, and the development of indigenous Finnish fighter types.

Finland was required to expel or intern remaining German forces as part of its peace agreement with the Soviets in mid-1944. As a result, the final air battles are against the retreating Luftwaffe.

The Finnish Air Force did not bomb any civilian targets during either war. Curiously, overflying Soviet towns and bases was also forbidden, as to avoid any unneeded provocations and to spare equipment.

The Finnish Air Force shot down 1621 Soviet air planes while losing 210 own planes during the Continuation war 1941-44 according to Kalevi Keskinen's and Kari Stenman's book "Aerial Victories 1-2". For a complete list of Finnish Air Force units during the Continuation War, click List of units of the Finnish Air Force during the Continuation War

Current aircraft inventory Aircraft Fighters

Advanced trainers

Transport aircraft

Trainer aircraft

Liaison aircraft

Certain aircraft are scheduled for replacement: The Fokker F.27s will continue to serve side-by-side with the C-295Ms but will be replaced in a few years time.. The Hawk Mk.51s and 51A's are to be replaced by new planes of a so far unknown model in the next decade. The Piper PA-31swill be replaced by 8 new liaison aircraft. Tenders have been invited from Pilatus Aircraft, Raytheon Aircraft Company and B-N Group. .

There are also plans to purchase 2-3 larger transport aircraft, to fulfill the requirements for domestic operations and for troop and logistics transports in international operations, as well as to form a tactical reserve for the evacuating of people from hazardous areas. The suggestions range from the Airbus A330 MRTT, Airbus A400M to the C-17 Globemaster III.

Helicopters The Finnish Air Force operated helicopters until the end of the 1990s when all were transferred to the army wing. All helicopters are attached to the Utti Jaeger Regimen't Helicopter Flight at Utti. Helicopter types include Hughes 500D, Hughes 500E, Mil Mi-8, and Mil Mi-8. Twenty NHI NH90 are on order.

UAVs All UAVs are currently operated by the Army's Artillery brigade. The UAV Unit is stationed in Niinisalo. The Army operates the RUAG Ranger. Patria has also developed a Mini-UAV, which has been field tested by the Finnish Army.

=== F-18 Hornet ===The F-18 Hornet is the Finnish Air Force variant of the Boeing Integrated Defense Systems F/A-18 Hornet multi-role attack and fighter jet. It lacks certain avionics, target acquisition and weapon control features, limiting its capability to engage ground targets. The variant is also used by the Swiss Air Force.

The decision to purchase the aircraft (64 in total, with 7 two-seat F-18D models and 57 single-seated F-18C models) was made in 1992, soon after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The original plan was to buy about 40 western fighters and about 20 Soviet fighters due to political reasons, but the collapse of the Soviet Union removed the political reason to also buy Soviet aircraft. The plan changed to 60 single-seat + 7 dual seat fighters of the same type, and the F-18 won the contest. Due to the F-18's high price, the number of fighters to be purchased was decreased by three, to 57+7.

A key goal in the Foreign relations of Finland of that era was to take no action that might be interpreted by the Soviets as a security threat; a weapons purchase of this magnitude certainly applied. Buying only NATO-compatible, United States fighter jets were not possible for Finland before the U.S.S.R.'s collapse.

The primary reason for the lack of ground attack features in the aircraft is the semantic meaning of the word "attack". For example, Finland has Defence Forces, not an army — even the possibility of Finland ever attacking its neighbors is denied on all levels. This made the policy decision to purchase attack aircraft impossible in the nineties aftermath of finlandization, leading to factory reconfiguration of the F/A-18 to the F-18 variant. A similar rationale also led the Swiss Air Force to purchase 34 F-18s in 1991 in aviation. A ban on bombers was also mandated by the Paris Peace Treaties, 1947 of 1947. This ban was later unilaterally rejected by Finland, but it played a part in the original specification and the competition.

It is widely believed that the removed features can be reinstalled with comparative ease if a regional conflict or a similar need so dictates.

The F-18 Hornet is the second U.S. Navy fighter in the Finnish Air Force, following the 1939 purchase of the Brewster Buffalo.

Attack capability upgrade On 7 December 2004 the Finnish Air Force announced that it will reinstall the missing features in order to enable ground attack capability for the Hornets.http://www.mil.fi/ilmavoimat/tiedotteet/896.dsp

The FAF will test the following weapon types:



The proposed program support includes recorders, receivers, devices, systems, APX-111 Combined Interrogator Transponders Mode S, components improvement program, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and other related elements of logistics and program management support. The estimated cost is $300 million.

There has been some advance information that the AARGM won't be approved for Finnish testing, due to US ITAR regulations.

Organisation The Air Force is organised into three commands, each of which operates a fighter squadron:

Headquarters (Jyväskylä-Tikkakoski) Air Support Squadron

C4I Materiel Command

Lapland Air Command (Rovaniemi) Fighter Squadron 11 (Hävittäjälentolaivue 11, HävLLv 11)

Satakunta Air Command (Tampere-Pirkkala) Fighter Squadron 21 (HävLLv 21)

Karelian Air Command (Kuopio-Rissala) Fighter Squadron 31 (HävLLv 31)

of the Finnish Air Force feature the same basic design, with only the distinguishing element in the upper right corner changing from unit to unit. Here, the colour of the Air Force Academy. The colour carries the honours of the Order of the Cross of Liberty (ribbon and point) awarded to the Academy for the valour of its former pupils. The distinguishing element of the Academy consists of wings, overlaid with a propeller and a swastika.

Air Force Academy (Kauhava) Fighter Squadron 41 (HävLLv 41)

Training Squadron

Air Force Air Material Command (Tampere) Flight Test Center (Halli) Aircraft and Weapon Systems School

The three commands are part of the Defence Forces' Readiness formations.

Commanders {| width="60%" style="font-size: 0.95em;"|-|Rank||Name||From||To|-|Captain||Carl Seber|| April 28, 1918, [1918, [1918, [1919, [1919, [1920, [1920, [1926, [1926, [1932||[September 8, 1932, [1945, [1945, [1952, [1952, [1958, [1958, [1964, [1964, [1968, [1969, [1975, [1975, [1987, [1987, [1991, [1991, [1995, [1995, [1998, [1998, [2004, [2005|||-|}

See also

References

External links



Finnish Air Force - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Finnish Air Force (FAF) (Finnish: Ilmavoimat, Swedish: Flygvapnet) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance ...

Finnish Air Force in Color
Pentti Perttula. This section introduces all the aircraft types under Finnish Air Force insignia used in the 3 wars in 1939-45. Jouni Rönkkö has done the aircraft drawings ...

Finnish Air Force - What does FAF stand for? Acronyms and ...
Acronym Definition; FAF: Financial Accounting Foundation: FAF: Fuel Adjustment Factor (shipping industry) FAF: Freight Analysis Framework: FAF: Final Approach Fix

Scramble on the Web - Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force: By Hans van Herk F inland became independent on the 6th of December 1917. It fought two wars against Soviet demands and finally reached an armastice with the ...

Finnish Air Force History
The Finnish Air Force. FAF. A HISTORICAL REVIEW . By Lt Gen (FAF ret) Heikki Nikunen . The Finnish Air Force was founded on 6th March 1918. There was one exceptional feature ...

List of aircraft of the Finnish Air Force - Wikipedia, the free ...
edit] The Army Aviation. All helicopters have been transferred to the army aviation.

Puolustusvoimat - Försvarsmakten - The Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Air Force and Patria Team Up to Establish an International Flight Training Center. 18 September, 2008. Patria and the Finnish Air Force have signed a contract to team up to ...

Finnish Air Force Home - Finnish Air Force
The FAF is a website created for Combat Flight Simulator 1 Finnish aircraft, scenery, and missions. - Finnish Air Force Home

Brewster B-239, Finnish air force [8.40] -> V8 Warbirds -> X-Plane 8 ...
File Information: File Name: Brewster B-239, Finnish air force [8.40] by URF: Submitted: May 30 2006, 11:02 AM: Last Updated: May 24 2007, 10:35 AM: File Type (zip - application ...

Air shows :
1 x F-18 Finnish Air Force 1 x Sukhoi (variant unknown) Polish Air Force . posted Wednesday, July 12, 2006 11:19 AM by Kelley with ...

 

Finnish Air Force



 
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