Finland Times

According to a defence ministry preliminary report, the announcement will also notify aircraft manufacturers in those countries who have been chosen as potential suppliers of the new multi-purpose fighters.

A more detailed request for information will be sent out by the end of February, said Air Force Commander Kim Jäämeri.

Manufacturers to be informed include the American Lockheed and Boeing companies, Sweden’s Saab, the French Dassault Aviation, and Eurofighter represented by the UK’s BAE Systems.

Answers to the information requests are expected within a year. According to Commander Jäämeri, the inquiries are about the capability estimations of the manufacturers and are not bound by any particular plane type.

The call for bids will open in 2018, and the decisions on which planes to buy will be made in 2021. They will all be in use during the 2030s.

According to Jäämeri, the possibility of acquiring two types of fighters has not yet been excluded. However, he does not believe that new manufacturers might spring up during the selection process.