Sales of US fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter jets in Europe face fierce competition from local manufacturers of combat aircraft, says Breaking Defense.
The publication writes that in the coming years Finland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland will make their final decisions on the procurement of new fighters, which are determined not only by financial and technical considerations, but also by politics. "All three countries under consideration have unique characteristics that can create problems for American fifth-generation fighters," the publication says.
The publication writes that the F-35 Lightning II may be expensive for the Czech Republic, which operates Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighters. According to Breaking Defense, Prague may continue to use the aircraft of the Swedish company Saab AB in the future, which is "less likely to anger Russia." "American-made aircraft have one advantage: the recent political downturn in relations between the Czech Republic and Russia," the newspaper notes.
Non-NATO Finland, which has American F/A-18 Hornet, will make the main choice, according to Breaking Defense, between the JAS 39 Gripen and the F-35 Lightning II. The publication is confident that the new Finnish combat aircraft will potentially have to simultaneously overcome Russian air defense (air defense) and fight modern Russian fighters. In the first case, the advantage is gained by the inconspicuous F-35 Lightning II, in the second - capable of using the Swedish airbase JAS 39 Gripen.
The purchase of an American aircraft by Switzerland is opposed, in particular, as the newspaper writes, by residents of the French-speaking regions of the country who are confident in the expediency of acquiring a European (French) Rafale.
In the February edition of Defense News, citing a statement by the Deputy commander of the air force (VVS) Sweden Brigadier General Anders Persson, wrote that the Finnish air force should procure a fourth-generation fighter JAS 39 Gripen production, the Swedish company Saab AB, as in the case of war with Russia, "the more vulnerable the Finnish air fleet to retreat to the West at the base in neighboring Sweden, which would be easier to implement when the two countries have a JAS 39 Gripen".
In February 2019, the commander of the Swedish Air Force, Mats Helgesson, said that the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter could destroy Russian Su-series aircraft without resorting to stealth technology to reduce visibility.
Ivan Potapov
