Finland Times

 Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö on Monday approved the acquisition of the Grob G115E training airplanes.

The procurement will be done through Babcock International PLC. The aircraft will come to Finland during this year and the next.

According to the Defence Forces, the total value of the acquisition is approximately 6.6 million euros, which does not include modernisation of the fleet.

The training airplanes will replace the Vinka training aircraft currently in use.

Vinka has been in use in Finland since the 1980s, and its life cycle will end by the end of 2018.

Originally, the older airplanes were to be replaced with new airplanes, but the Defence Forces could not find an offer that suited their needs.