By Juhana Rossi
TURKU, Finland--U.S. and European warplane makers have descended
on the airport of this Finnish city this weekend to market their
aircraft as the Nordic nation is looking to renew aging fighter
jets and revisit its geopolitical stance amid growing tension with
its Russian neighbor.
Boasting the largest pavilions at the air show on Turku's tarmac
are Lockheed Martin Corp. of the U.S. and Sweden's Saab AB, which
are seen as the lead contenders with their F-35 and Gripen
aircraft.
"It is important to get your message out there," Anders
Gardberg, head of Saab's Finnish operations, said Friday as he
arrived at the three-day event.
Although Finland may take a long time before picking a supplier,
the planned order highlights how the Nordic and Baltic region has
been ramping up military spending since Russia annexed Crimea from
Ukraine last year.
Just days ago, Finland said it would buy nearly $50 million
worth of antitank missiles from Sweden. Sweden itself has announced
plans to retrofit warships previously set for retirement and
increase its submarine fleet while Poland is budgeting for new
naval vessels, helicopters and coastal defense systems.
The aircraft order will also come as a test to Finland's
long-standing tradition of military neutrality between East and
West. Russia's westbound push, compounded with the recent series of
close encounters between Russian and Western jets in Baltic and
Scandinavian skies, have led Helsinki to study whether the country
should come closer, and even perhaps join the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
Finland's new government has said it would commission a report
on what joining the alliance would entail. While support for NATO
membership has grown, 60% of Finnish voters oppose it, according to
a survey published late last year.
Selecting Saab's Gripen, analysts say, could help Finland
reaffirm its position in the neutral camp, together with non-NATO
member Sweden. Meantime, going for Lockheed Martin's F-35, a plane
ordered by the U.S. and several other NATO nations, would bring
Finland ever closer to the military alliance.
"If Finland really sees the possibility of a full-blown war
between NATO and Russia with Finland fighting to survive alongside
the alliance, the F-35 is unquestionably the right choice," said
Richard L. Aboulafia, an analyst at Teal Group, a U.S.
consultancy.
A byproduct of World War II, Finland's tradition of military
neutrality was enshrined in a 1948 treaty of friendship the country
signed with the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Finland sought
to maintain itself at equal distance between Moscow and Washington
and adopted an informal policy of splitting its defense-material
procurement evenly between the Soviet Union and Western
nations.
Illustrating the balancing act in Turku will be a Soviet-made
MiG-15, which was part of Finland's diverse inventory, and is
scheduled to fly in the air show under its authentic Finnish
markings.
The 1948 treaty was annulled in the wake of the Soviet Union's
dissolution in 1991, and Finland decided to replace its mixed fleet
of Soviet and Western fighters with U.S. F/A-18 Hornets.
Still, the legacy of military nonalignment remains deeply rooted
in Finland's foreign-policy thinking.
In Turku, Saab and Lockheed Martin pulled no punches.
As a Gripen taxied on the tarmac, Saab's Mr. Gardberg, who is a
Finnish taxpayer, said the Swedish jet would be well-suited for
fiscally stressed Finland because it comes with low operating
costs.
Across the airport, Yung A. Le, who is leading Lockheed Martin's
sales drive in Northern Europe, said he was confident that Finland
wouldn't make its choice on cost alone, and that the F-35 would be
better off than the Gripen in a fight against Russian jets.
"The Gripen is constantly being upgraded," Mr. Gardberg shot
back. "It has kept up with times."
As Finnish Air Force officials toured the air show, local pilots
said they have little nostalgia for Soviet planes.
The MiG-15 "handled pleasantly once aloft, but it was a rather
clumsy aircraft on the ground because it had a stiff landing gear
and weak brakes," said retired test pilot Jyrki Laukkanen, who flew
the Soviet jet during his long career under the Finnish flag.
Christina Zander contributed to this article.
Write to Juhana Rossi at juhana.rossi@wsj.com
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