defense

Nordic Countries Want to Create a Joint Air Force of 250 Aircraft

The concept of a joint Nordic Air Force consisting of around 250 modern, generation 4.5 and 5 front-line fighters in the short term and generation 5 & 6 in the medium to long term has been a subject of constant consultation between the governments of the countries concerned since the mid-1990s.

The four Nordic countries, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Sweden and Finland, have moved to deepen cooperation between their air forces in order to strengthen the air defense of their geography. The initiative, which includes a joint declaration of intent, comes against the backdrop of ongoing security tensions caused by Russia's war against Ukraine, affecting the "Upper North and Baltic Sea" regions.

The declaration, the first of its kind among the Nordic countries, was signed on March 16 at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany by the air force commanders of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark.

The concept of a joint Nordic Air Force consisting of around 250 modern, Generation 4.5 and 5 front-line fighters in the short term and Generation 5 & 6 in the medium to long term has been a subject of constant consultation between the governments of the countries concerned since the mid-1990s.

The fact that Sweden and Finland do not belong to NATO has always hindered the progress of negotiations and joint initiatives. It was only after these two countries declared their intention to join NATO, and especially after Finland joined, that this intention was transformed into a more tangible decision to create a permanent air force. There is now a more solid basis for discussing a joint action plan between the four Scandinavian countries that would create a mini-NATO.

The concept of air defense operations in the Declaration envisages the cooperation of a joint Nordic air force created and developed along four main lines of action. It also proposes the development of an integrated management structure for the planning and conduct of air operations. It envisages a dynamic, flexible, powerful and large air warfare task force with a total of around 250 modern fighter aircraft.

Intense US Pressure on F-35 in the Background

In this air force, Denmark, Finland and Norway plan to use Lockheed Martin's fifth-generation F-35A stealth fighter. However, Sweden has absolutely no intention of procuring a fighter aircraft other than its own. It is not willing to abandon more than a century of knowledge and experience in the aviation industry, but can it withstand US pressure? Sweden, which had previously used indigenous or at least licensed engines in the aircraft it designed and built (e.g. Saab Draken, Saab Viggen), has switched to the US GE404 engine in the Gripen. As a competitor to the limited number of Gripen sales, Sweden has always found American companies and aircraft (F-16, F-18, F-35), in other words, the USA. Sweden is fighting a war of independence against the US in the military aviation industry (For detailed information, see Ref.-1 & 2).

One of the most prominent demands in this joint air power concept is "the establishment of a joint air training and exercise unit", but it is claimed that Sweden's decision not to use the F-35A will make it difficult to ensure the standardization of this model. This is a frivolous claim, and is in fact an argument for pressure on Sweden, even Sweden's desire to join NATO and the fact that the only obstacle is Turkey, which could be used by the US as an indirect means of pressure on Sweden.

The US has made an agreement to deploy its F-35s in Finland (see Ref.-3), and Finland has even decided to purchase the F-35 (Ref.-4). In this region, the US will maneuver and exert all kinds of pressure to create a free air force of about 250 aircraft that will directly serve its interests under the name of NATO and the Scandinavian Joint Defense Air Force.

In fact, Sweden has a 5th Generation aircraft project (Flygsystem 2020), which it plans to have flying in the 2035s. It may also be involved in the TEMPEST 6th Generation aircraft project, a consortium of the UK, Italy and Japan. However, the US intention and decision to make Sweden both a dependent customer and an ally is clear. It is imperative for Sweden to resist the intense US pressure in this direction. Otherwise, it may have to say goodbye to the military aviation industry that it has been weaving and growing for more than 100 years (For detailed information, see Ref.-1 & 2).