By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
One of NATO’s newest members is buying more cruise missiles for its soon-to-be delivered F-35 fighter jets.
FInland’s defense ministry said last week it was acquiring more Lockheed Martin AGM158B Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile – Extended Range. Finnish forces had previously equipped their F/A-18C/D warplanes with the baseline model of the missile.
The range of the latest version of the missile is roughly 1,000 km – more than three times as far as the older one. Deliveries of the new weapon won’t start until next year, when Finland will receive the first of its F-35s.
In 2021, Finland agreed to buy 64 F-35s from Lockheed Martin to replace its F/A18s in a deal valued at $9.4 billion. At the time, Lockheed said the F-35 deal would provide Finnish industries “unique digital capabilities that leverage fifth-generation engineering and manufacturing.”
Finland became NATO’s 31st member a little more than a year ago. It asked to join the alliance in 2022, three months after Russia invaded Ukraine.
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That was seen as a setback for Vladimir Putin. Before Finland (and later Sweden) were added to the alliance, the Russian leader had complained of NATO’s expansion. After Russia invaded Ukraine, public opinion in Finland rose to 80 percent in favor of joining NATO.
Since the invasion, Finland has given Ukraine more than $2 billion in security assistance.
Finland spends 2.3 percent of its GDP on defense. That’s a higher percentage than NATO’s two percent goal for its member nations.
