Nordic air forces to address urgent airpower capability at Copenhagen summit

As Sweden debates whether it should follow Norway in raising its defence budget and Denmark reopens bidding to procure 30 new fighter aircraft, representatives from across the Nordic military community will assemble in Copenhagen this May to address immediate and long-term requirements.

Fighter Nordic 2013 (http://www.fighternordic.com), taking place from 29-30 May 2013, will see participation of fighter branch chiefs from the Arctic nations to address a number of concerns surrounding the procurement of fighter platforms and their role within the air force in the region.

Identifying the shared need for a capable multirole fleet, Denmark has since reopened the competition to supply its air force with thirty new fighters, notifying Boeing, Eurofighter and Saab to pitch proposals. Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter programme office will also be reaffirming their interest in this project.

Additionally, in recent weeks,both the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces and an academic report announced that the current defence budget is leaving Sweden unable to effectively defend itself, forcing the government to reconsider its expenditure. One of the major shortfalls was found to be the number of fighters the country has to secure its airspace. Read more on this development here: http://www.fighternordic.com

The conference will also see representatives from Canada, the US, the UK and France, with discussion revolving around future multinational defence capabilities and investment.

Commercial solutions will be represented at the meeting, with industry attendees representing a growing international fighter market worth an estimated £22.7 billion this year.

For more information on Fighter Nordic and to view the full agenda, please visit http://www.fighternordic.com.

Notes to editor:

If you would like to attend Fighter Nordic as press, please get in contact with Samantha Tanner, Marketing Manager, enquire@defenceiq.com, +44 (0) 207 368 9300.

Fighter Nordic 2013 is sponsored by Saab. More information on our sponsors can be found at http://www.fighternordic.com.