The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress [link opens in PDF] Thursday of plans to conduct a Foreign Military Sale of $170 million worth of equipment and support services to Finland, as part of that country's Finland's F-18 Mid-Life Upgrade Program.
According to the DSCA, contractors including Raytheon (RTN), Lockheed Martin (LMT 0.01%), Boeing (BA 0.01%), General Electric (GE -1.75%), and General Dynamics (GD 0.28%) will participate in providing the requested services, as well as equipment to include:
- 69 KIV-78 friend-or-foe identification systems.
- 69 AN/APX-11-30 combined interrogator/transponders.
- 32 SUU-63 payload pylons.
- An unspecified number of Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems.
Also included in the proposed order will be software test and integration center upgrades, flight testing services, support and testing equipment, technical documentation, personnel training, and assorted spare parts.
The DSCA says the sale will "contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country which has been, and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe. The Finnish Air Force (FAF) intends to purchase the MLU Program equipment to extend the useful life of its F-18 fighter aircraft and enhance their survivability and communications connectivity."
The DSCA further assures Congress that the proposed sale "will not alter the basic military balance in the region," nor will there be any "adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale."
