The 'Finnish Air Force' (FAF) (
Finnish: ''Ilmavoimat'',
Swedish: ''Flygvapnet'') is one of the branches of the
Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of
readiness formations for wartime conditions.
[1] As a separate branch of the military, the Finnish Air Force is one of the oldest in the world, having existed since the year 1918.
History
The old roundel on Finnish Air Force's air planes used from
1918 to
1945.
The current roundel (1945-).
During the
Finnish Civil War the ''Whites'' had to rely on foreign support, both with planes and aircraft. The neutral
Sweden refused to send men and material, but individual Swedish citizens wanted to help the Finnish Army. The editor of the Swedish daily magazine ''
Aftonbladet'', Waldemar Langlet, bought a
N.A.B. Albatros aircraft with the funds gathered by the "Finland's friends" organization from the
Nordiska Aviatik A.B. factory. This was the first aircraft to arrive from Sweden. It was flown via
Haparanda on
25 February 1918 by the Swedish pilots
John-Allan Hygerth (who became the first commander of the Finnish Air Force on March 10) and Per Svanbäck. The aircraft made a stop at
Kokkola and a forced landing in
Jakobstad when the aircraft's engine broke down. The aircraft was later given the designation F 2 in the FAF inventory, where "F" came from the Swedish word "Flygmaskin" (aircraft).
[2]
The Swedish count
Eric von Rosen gave the Finnish White government a
Thulin Typ D aircraft. Lieutenant Nils Kindberg flew the aircraft to
Vaasa on
March 6 1918, having von Rosen as a passenger. This aircraft was given against the will of Sweden, and no flight permit had been given, resulting in a 100 kronor fine for Kindberg for leaving the country without permission. This aircraft is considered to be the first aircraft in the Finnish Air Force, since the Finnish Air Force does not consider having existed during the Civil War, since it was only the ''Red'' side who flew some aircraft with the help of some Russian pilots. The von Rosen aircraft was given the designation F1.
The air force was officially called the "aviation force" for its first years. The birth of the Finnish Air Force was very early: for instance, the
RAF was founded as an independent branch on April 1 1918 and the Swedish
''Flygvapnet'' in 1925.
Von Rosen had painted his personal good luck charm on the Thulin Typ D aircraft, which was a blue
swastika. This was to become the insignia of the Finnish Air Force. The white circular background was created when the Finns tried to paint over the Thulin air academy advertisement.
[3] The swastika was officially taken into use after an order by Mannerheim on
March 18 1918. The FAF had to change the swastika insignia after
1945, due to an
allied control commission decree, where all swastikas had to be abandoned. However, the original swastika can still be found in regimental flags and medals, especially in the air force.
The F.1 aircraft was soon destroyed in an accident, killing its crew. Another disaster on
September 7 in the 1920s are however considered a memorial day for the Finnish Air Force's lost pilots.
The Finnish Air Force assigns the matriculation numbers to its aircraft by assigning each type a two-letter code following by dash and an individual aircraft number. The two-letter code refers to the aircraft type name, such as 'HN' for F/A-18 'H'or'n'et, 'DK' for Saab J-35 'D'ra'k'en, 'VN' for Valmet 'V'i'n'ka etc.
Winter War 1939-40
The
Winter War began on
November 30,
1939 by the
Soviet Union bombing 21 Finnish municipalities. From the Soviet Union's estimated 5,000 airplanes in 1939 about 700 fighters and 800 medium bombers were brought to Finland for the Red Army's ground forces command. The bombardment of Finnish industry and railways was not efficient.
The Finnish army had 17 bombers and 31 fighters at the beginning of the Winter War. There were 54 liaison aircraft but 20 of them were used only for messengers. The most modern aircraft in the Finnish arsenal were
Bristol Blenheim bombers built under license in Finland. The primary fighter aircraft was the
Fokker D.XXI, a cheap but maneuverable design with fabric-covered tube fuselage and fixed landing gear. On paper, this force should have been no match for the attacking Soviet
Red Air Force.
The Finnish command had learned that the new German
Blitzkrieg tactics involved the destruction of enemy aircraft on the ground at their airfields. In order to prevent similar destruction, Finnish planes were decentralized to many different airfields and hidden in forests. Fake targets were made and many airfields also had shrapnel protection for the planes. Soviet air raids on Finnish airfields usually caused little or no damage as a result, and often resulted in interception of the attackers by the Finns as the bombers flew homeward.
The Finnish Air Force shot down 218 Soviet Air planes during the Winter War while losing only 47 to enemy fire. The Finnish anti-aircraft is also said to have shot down 314 enemy planes. 30 Soviet planes were captured -- "kills" which landed more or less intact within Finland and were quickly repaired.
:''For a complete list of Finnish Air Force units during the Winter War, click
here''
Continuation War 1941-44
The Finnish Air Force was prepared better for the
Continuation War, with 550 planes, though many were considered second-rate and thus "exportable" by their countries of origin. Finland purchased a large number of aircraft during the Winter War, but few of those reached service during the short conflict. Politics also played a factor, since
Hitler did not wish to antagonize the
Soviet Union by allowing aircraft exports through German-controlled territory during the conflict. New aircraft types were in place by the time hostilities with Russia resumed in 1941. Small numbers of
Hawker Hurricanes arrived from England,
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406s from France,
Fiat G.50s from Italy, a few dozen
Curtiss Hawk 75s captured by the Germans in France and Norway then sold to Finland, and numerous
Brewster B239s from the neutral USA strengthened the FiAF. The FiAF proved capable of holding its own in the upcoming battles with the Red Air Force. Older models, like the
Fokker D.XXI and
Gloster Gladiator, were replaced in front-line combat units with the new aircraft.
The FiAF's main mission was to achieve air superiority over Finland and prevent Soviet air power from reinforcing their front lines. The fighter squadrons were very successful in the Finnish offensive of
1941. A stripped-down, more maneuverable, and significantly lightened version of the American
Brewster B239 "Buffalo" was the FiAF's main fighter until
1943. Results with this fighter were very good, even though the type was considered to be a failure in the US Navy & with British Far East forces. In the Finnish use, the Brewster had a victory rate of 32:1 - 459 kills while losing only 15. German
Bf 109s replaced the B239 as the primary front-line fighter of the FiAF in 1943, though the Buffalos continued in secondary roles until the end. Other types, especially the Italian
Fiat G.50 and
Curtiss Hawk 75 also proved capable in the hands of well-trained Finnish pilots. Various Russian designs also saw action when lightly-damaged "kills" were repaired and made airworthy.
Dornier 17s (received as a gift from
Hermann Göring in
1942) and
Junkers 88s gave more capacity to the bombing capability of the Finnish Air Force. The bomber units flew assorted missions with varying results, but a large part of their time was spent in training. Thus the bomber squadrons of Flying Regiment 4 were ready for the summer battles of 1944, which included for example the
Battle of Tali-Ihantala.
While the FiAF was successful in its mission, the conditions were not easy. Spare parts for the FiAF planes were scarce -- parts from the US (Buffalo & Hawk), Britain (Hurricanes), and Italy (G.50) were unavailable for much of the war. Repairs took often a long time, and the State Aircraft Factory was burdened with restoration/repair of Soviet war booty planes, foreign aircraft with many hours of flight time, and the development of indigenous Finnish fighter types.
Finland was required to expel or intern remaining German forces as part of its peace agreement with the Soviets in mid-1944. As a result, the final air battles are against the retreating Luftwaffe.
The Finnish Air Force did not bomb any civilian targets during either war. Curiously, overflying Soviet towns and bases was also forbidden, as to avoid any unneeded provocations and to spare equipment.
The Finnish Air Force shot down 1621 Soviet air planes while losing 210 own planes during the Continuation war 1941-44 according to Kalevi Keskinen's and Kari Stenman's book "Aerial Victories 1-2".
:''For a complete list of Finnish Air Force units during the Continuation War, click
here''
Current aircraft inventory
Main articles: List of aircraft in the Finnish Air Force
Aircraft
'Fighters'
★
F-18C Hornet (HN) is the most important weapon of the air force. 57 aircraft were originally acquired, but one has been destroyed in an accident and another one has been converted into a two-seater. 55 aircraft.
★
F-18D Hornet (HN) is a two-seated fighter, of which 7 units originally was acquired. The number is 8 today due to the conversion of one F-18C. 8 aircraft.
'Advanced trainers'
★
BAe Hawk Mk.51/51A (HW) is a two-seated advanced fighter trainer. 57 aircraft were obtained, 7 have been destroyed in various accidents. Another 18 Mk.66s will be acquired from Swiss surplus stocks. Deliveries begin in 2009.
[4] 49 aircraft.
'Transport aircraft'
★
Learjet 35A/S (LJ). Originally a business jet, three were acquired for service as liaison and target towing aircraft. 3 aircraft.
★
Fokker F27 (FF). One F.27-100 and one F.27-400M are used as transport aircraft for the parachute rangers. Will soon be phased out of service. 2 aircraft.
★
EADS CASA C-295M (CC). Transport aircraft for the parachute troops. 2 aircraft.
'Trainer aircraft'
★
Valmet L-70 Vinka (VN). Primary pilot training. 28 aircraft.
'Liaison aircraft'
★
Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain (PC). A 7-seat aircraft used for transport. 6 aircraft.
★
Valmet L-90 Redigo (RG). 4-seated liaison aircraft. 9 aircraft.
Certain aircraft are scheduled for replacement: The Fokker F.27s will continue to serve side-by-side with the C-295Ms but will be replaced in a few years time.
[1]. The Hawk Mk.51s and 51A's are to be replaced by new planes of a so far unknown model in the next decade. The Piper PA-31swill be replaced by 8 new liaison aircraft. Tenders have been invited from
Pilatus Aircraft,
Raytheon Aircraft Company and
B-N Group.
[2].
There are also plans to purchase 2-3 larger transport aircraft, to fulfill the requirements for domestic operations and for troop and logistics transports in international operations, as well as to form a tactical reserve for the evacuating of people from hazardous areas. The suggestions range from the
Airbus A330 MRTT,
Airbus A400M to the
C-17 Globemaster III.
[3]
Helicopters
The Finnish Air Force operated helicopters until the end of the 1990s when all were transferred to the army wing. All helicopters are attached to the Utti Jaeger Regimen't Helicopter Flight at Utti. Helicopter types include
Hughes 500D,
Hughes 500E,
Mil Mi-8T, and
Mil Mi-8P. Twenty
NHI NH90 are on order.
===
UAVs===
All UAVs are currently operated by the Army's Artillery brigade. The UAV Unit is stationed in Niinisalo. The Army operates the
RUAG Ranger. Patria has also developed a Mini-UAV, which has been field tested by the Finnish Army.
F-18 Hornet
A Finnish F-18C stands on its tail.
The F-18 Hornet is the Finnish Air Force variant of the
Boeing IDS F/A-18 Hornet multi-role attack and
fighter aircraft. It lacks certain
avionics, target acquisition and weapon control features, limiting its capability to engage ground targets. The variant is also used by the
Swiss Air Force.
The decision to purchase the aircraft (64 in total, with 7 two-seat 'F-18D' models and 57 single-seated 'F-18C' models) was made in
1992, soon after the
1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. The original plan was to buy about 40 western fighters and about 20 Soviet fighters due to political reasons, but the collapse of the
Soviet Union removed the political reason to also buy Soviet aircraft. The plan changed to 60 single-seat + 7 dual seat fighters of the same type, and the F-18 won the contest. Due to the F-18's high price, the number of fighters to be purchased was decreased by three, to 57+7.
A key goal in the
Finnish foreign policy of that era was to take no action that might be interpreted by the Soviets as a security threat; a weapons purchase of this magnitude certainly applied. Buying only
NATO-compatible,
American fighter jets were not possible for
Finland before the U.S.S.R.'s collapse.
The primary reason for the lack of ground attack features in the aircraft is the semantic meaning of the word "attack". For example, Finland has ''Defence Forces'', not an
army — even the possibility of Finland ever attacking its neighbors is denied on all levels. This made the policy decision to purchase ''attack aircraft'' impossible in the nineties aftermath of
finlandization, leading to factory reconfiguration of the F/A-18 to the F-18 variant. A similar rationale also led the Swiss Air Force to purchase 34 F-18s in
1991. A ban on
bombers was also mandated by the
Paris peace treaty of 1947. This ban was later unilaterally rejected by Finland, but it played a part in the original specification and the competition.
It is widely believed that the removed features can be reinstalled with comparative ease if a regional conflict or a similar need so dictates.
The F-18 Hornet is the second
U.S. Navy fighter in the Finnish Air Force, following the
1939 purchase of the
Brewster F2A.
Attack capability upgrade
On 7 December
2004 the Finnish Air Force announced that it will reinstall the missing features in order to enable ground attack capability for the Hornets.
[5]
The FAF will test the following weapon types:
★ 67 AN/APG-73 Expand 4/5 Upgrades,
★ 3 AN/RT-1851 Radio Transmitters,
★ 5 Multifunctional Information Display Systems (MIDS/LVT),
★ 10 Advanced Tactical Forward Looking Infrared Radar (ATFLIR),
★ 4 AN/ALR-67V(3) Radar Warning Receivers,
★ 5 AN/AYK-14 Mission Computer Upgrades,
★ 2
GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM),
★ 2
AGM-154A Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW),
★ 1
AGM-84K Stand-Off Land Attack Missile/Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), and
★ 1
AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missiles (AARGM).
The proposed program support includes recorders, receivers, devices, systems, APX-111 Combined Interrogator Transponders Mode S, components improvement program, spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical data, personnel training and equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and other related elements of logistics and program management support. The estimated cost is $300 million.
There has been some advance information that the AARGM won't be approved for Finnish testing, due to US
ITAR regulations.
Organisation
The Air Force is organised into three commands, each of which operates a fighter squadron:
Headquarters (Jyväskylä-Tikkakoski)
;Air Support Squadron
★ '1st Flight' F27-100 and F27-400M, CASA C-295M, Valmet Vinka, PA-31-350 Chieftain, Valmet L-90TP Redigo
★ '2nd Flight' Gates 35A/S Learjet
★ '3rd Flight' F27-100 (Sigint)
;C4I Materiel Command
Lapland Air Command (Rovaniemi)
;Fighter Squadron 11 (''Hävittäjälentolaivue'' 11, HävLLv 11)
★ '1st Flight' F-18C/D
★ '2nd Flight' F-18C/D
★ '3rd Flight' Valmet Vinka, PA-31-350 Chieftain, Valmet L-90TP Redigo
Satakunta Air Command (Tampere-Pirkkala)
;Fighter Squadron 21' (HävLLv 21)
★ '1st Flight' F-18C/D
★ '2nd Flight' F-18C/D
★ '3rd Flight' Valmet Vinka, PA-31-350 Chieftain, Valmet L-90TP Redigo
Karelian Air Command (Kuopio-Rissala)
;Fighter Squadron 31 (HävLLv 31)
★ '1st Flight' F-18C/D
★ '2nd Flight' F-18C/D
★ '3rd Flight' Valmet Vinka, PA-31-350 Chieftain, Valmet L-90TP Redigo
Air Force Academy (Kauhava)
;Fighter Squadron 41 (HävLLv 41)
★ '1st Flight' Hawk Mk 51/51A
★ '2nd Flight' Hawk Mk 51/51A
★ '3rd Flight' Hawk Mk 51/51A
;Training Squadron
★ '1st Flight' Valmet Vinka
★ '2nd Flight' Hawk Mk 51/51A
★ '3rd Flight' Valmet L-90TP Redigo, Valmet Vinka
Air Force Air Material Command (Tampere)
Flight Test Center (Halli)
;Aircraft and Weapon Systems School
★ F-18C/D, Hawk Mk 51/51A, Valmet Vinka, Valmet L-90TP Redigo
The three commands are part of the Defence Forces' Readiness formations.
Commanders
| 'Rank' | 'Name' | 'From' | 'To' |
| Captain | Carl Seber | April 28, 1918 | December 13, 1918 |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Torsten Aminoff | December 14, 1918 | January 9, 1919 |
| Colonel | Sixtus Hjelmmann | January 10, 1919 | October 25, 1920 |
| Major | Aarne Somersalo | October 26, 1920 | February 2, 1926 |
| Colonel | Väinö Vuori | February 2, 1926 | September 7, 1932 |
| Lieutenant General | Jarl Lundqvist | September 8, 1932 | June 29, 1945 |
| Lieutenant General | Frans Helminen | June 30, 1945 | November 30, 1952 |
| Lieutenant General | Reino Artola | December 1, 1952 | December 5, 1958 |
| Major General | Fjalar Seeve | December 6, 1958 | September 12, 1964 |
| Lieutenant General | Reino Turkki | September 13, 1964 | December 4, 1968 |
| Lieutenant General | Eero Salmela | February 7, 1969 | April 21, 1975 |
| Lieutenant General | Rauno Meriö | April 22, 1975 | January 31, 1987 |
| Lieutenant General | Pertti Jokinen | February 1, 1987 | January 31, 1991 |
| Lieutenant General | Heikki Nikunen | February 1, 1991 | April 30, 1995 |
| Major General | Matti Ahola | May 1, 1995 | August 31, 1998 |
| Lieutenant General | Jouni Pystynen | September 1, 1998 | December 31, 2004 |
| Lieutenant General | Heikki Lyytinen | January 1, 2005 | |
See also
★
List of air forces
References
1. http://www.ilmavoimat.fi/index_en.php?id=387
2. Keskinen, Partonen, Stenman 2005.
3. Heinonen 1992.
4. http://www.mil.fi/paaesikunta/tiedotteet/3181.dsp
5. http://www.mil.fi/ilmavoimat/tiedotteet/896.dsp
External links
★
Finnish Air Force
★
Pictures of Finnish Air Force aircraft at Airliners.net
★
Finnish Defence Forces: Presentation of equipment: Interceptor fighter
★
Flugrevue article about the Swiss Air Force's F-18s
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