Finland could acquire 405 AIM-120D-3 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) from Raytheon under a Foreign Military Sales deal worth a potential $1 billion.

Detailed by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on 10 September, the prospective deal has been endorsed by the US Department of State, but awaits final approval.

“The proposed sale will improve Finland’s capability to meet current and future threats and enhance its interoperability with US and other allied forces,” the DSCA says.

Finnish F-18

Source: Crown Copyright

Finland will use new AMRAAMs to arm its current F-18 fighters

While not outlined in the notification, the AMRAAM weapons could be used to arm the Finnish air force’s current Boeing F-18 Hornet fighters and on-order Lockheed Martin F-35As.

The potential sale looks set to add to a record run of major contracts for the AMRAAM, with the most recent having been a $3.5 billion order to provide missiles to the US military and 19 international customers.

European Defence Editor Craig Hoyle has reported on the UK, European and international military aviation sector for almost 30 years, and has also been the Editor of Flight International since 2015. He joined FlightGlobal in 2003, and also compiles our annual World Air Forces directory.View full Profile

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