Helsinki - Finland has become the first non-NATO Partnership for Peace country to pass NATO air-to-air tests, the latest action by Finland to achieve NATO compatibility in critical military operating areas. This development is regarded as fundamental to modernize its national and international defense programs and systems.
The NATO-certification will allow the Finnish Air Force's International Readiness Unit (IRU) to make itself available for international crisis management operations. The IRU comprises six F-18s and 250 personnel. The final evaluation by NATO took place at the Trollenhagen airbase in Northern Germany.
The NATO link will be strengthened further by year's end when Finland enters a collaborative arrangement with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the central command of NATO military forces' covering the exchange of airspace situation information.
"In a defense report dating to 2004, we set a target that the Finnish Air Force would reach preparedness for international missions by the year 2010. The certification received from NATO testifies that this goal has been reached," said Maj. Gen. Jarmo Lindberg, the Air Force's commander.
The cooperation with SHAPE initially will focus, together with Sweden, on the exchange of airspace situation information. The exchange will be primarily routed through Norway's and Lithuania's NATO structures.
NATO's influence on Finland's equipment compatibility programs is also visible in the modernization of the Air Force's fleet of F-18 Hornets, acquired in 1995. The continuing $1.5 billion upgrade program, which is one-third complete, will extend the service life of the NATO-compatible F-18s until 2026.
Providing the Hornets with an air-to-ground capability, including air-to-ground missiles by 2013, is central to the upgrade.
The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is ready to test a few components that soldiers may have in their hands by 2010.
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