Jarmo Lindberg, the former commander of the Finnish armed forces, who has recently left the post, is consulting US defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corporation on participating in a tender to sell fighter jets to Finland worth 10 billion euros ($11 billion), media reported on Thursday
HELSINKI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th April, 2020) Jarmo Lindberg, the former commander of the Finnish armed forces, who has recently left the post, is consulting US defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corporation on participating in a tender to sell fighter jets to Finland worth 10 billion Euros ($11 billion), media reported on Thursday.
Lindberg left the post of the commander-in-chief at the end of July 2019 after his contract had expired.
According to the STT news agency, the US manufacturer informed the Finnish Defense Ministry about receiving Lindberg's consultations on Wednesday.
Lockheed Martin was invited by the Finnish government to compete for the supply of fighter jets on an equal basis with four other manufacturers.
The Finnish Defense Ministry intends to purchase about 64 new fighter jets worth 10 billion euros.
The military is choosing between five types of fighter jets, namely the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Martin F-35 and Saab Gripen. Helsinki sent the invitations to the defense firms through the governments of Sweden, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
From January-February 2020, all participants provided their fighter jets to the Finnish military for testing in winter conditions. The armed forces are expected to decide on the purchase in 2021 and the fighters are to be delivered between 2025 and 2030.
