…military purchase in Finland. First planes were received in 1995 and many would have wanted to use the money for something else than for about 60 jet fighters. On the other hand, 60 doesn’t sound much for a country that doesn’t belong to any military alliance.
The symbolic significance was also big as American planes might not have been bought at a time when Finland’s eastern neighbour was still called Soviet Union. Many saw the purchase as a concrete step towards Finland’s NATO membership.
The photo was taken in Helsinki International Airshow and the pilot has just fired flares that are used to distract missiles.
That’s a hell of an impressive image! Fantastic capture.