Finland formally advances bidders to next stage of fighter procurement
Finland's Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 1 November that it has sent invitations to provide a revised Request for Quotations (RfQ) to all five contenders for the country's fighter replacement programme, known as HX.
Bidders for the programme to replace the legacy Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet include the Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, and Saab Gripen.
The MoD statement also confirmed that a price cap of EUR10 billion (USD11.15 billion) had been set on the acquisition by the government's Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy. The MoD noted on Twitter, citing Major General Kari Renko of the Finnish Defence Forces' Logistics Command, that all five had experienced difficulty in meeting the EUR10 billion price cap. The programme's initial plan had been for a solution in the EUR7-10 billion price range.
Responses for the revised call for tender are to be submitted by 31 January 2020, with a request for final offer later that year after a second phase of negotiations. The Finnish government will take a decision on the platform in 2021. The programme covers the acquisition of new aircraft, as well as weapons, sensors, training, and spare parts.
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https://www.janes.com/article/92321/finland-formally-advances-bidders-to-next-stage-of-fighter-procurement
