Finland To Get Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles

The Finnish Defence Forces have been given the green light by their Ministry of Defense to sign the contract to procure Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (AGM- 158 JASSM) from the United States for the F-18 Hornet aircraft. The U.S. Department of Defense and the Congress approved of the transaction in November 2011, which was a precondition for starting the procurement process. The contract including value added tax is worth EUR 178.5 million, with payments spread over six years. The procurement of the missile system includes modifications to the software of the aircraft, test and live missiles, technical documentation and training. The AGM-158 JASSM is the only missile that meets the requirement to integrate the system into the F-18 aircraft as scheduled. The modifications to the F-18 which are included in the procurement will be carried out as part of the life-cycle upgrade by 2016.