Premier Fighter Jet Replacement Candidates Flock to Finnish Centenary Air Show

While the show will feature aviation history, as well as an aerobatic display by the British Red Arrows, which ranks among the world's premier flying performance teams, Helsinki's skies will be filled with some of the world's most advanced fighters, such as the US Super Hornet, the EU Eurofighter Typhoon and the Swedish Gripen. Their presence at the show is coincidence, since all three of them are being considered by the Finnish Air Force as a replacement for the outdated fleet of F-18 Hornets currently in use as its foundation. While approaching their "best before" date, these fighters will also take part in the aerobatics display.

​At the show in Helsinki, Boeing will present a deck fighter-bomber and an attack aircraft of the F/A-18 E Super Hornet class, which is an updated version of the F/A-18 Hornet currently used in Finland and is considered to be one of the main contenders. This idea is heavily supported by the commander of the Armed Forces, Juhani Kaskeala, according to whom the new generation of the Hornet is easiest to adapt to for pilots, the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat reported.

The Eurofighter Typhoon, which has been developed and manufactured by a European consortium featuring the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, is currently in service in Germany, Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Austria and Saudi Arabia.

​The two other replacement options, which will not be shown in Helsinki, are the F-35 by US manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the French Rafale. Earlier this year, Finnish Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö declared additional measures to block contacts with lobbyists and add transparency to the process of competitive selection.

All in all, 80 aircraft of different generations will be put on display in Helsinki. What makes the air show all the more unique is that it was last organized at Kaivopuisto in 1955.

"Last time such a display was arranged over the sea and it happened in the 1970s," organizer Perttu Karivalo told the Finnish newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet.