In January 1978, Britain and Finland announced a deal in which the Finnish Air Force was to receive 50 Hawk Mk.
51s in 1980; these aircraft were built in Finland under licence by Valmet.
The Finnish Air Force was limited to 60 first-line fighter aircraft by the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947; by acquiring Hawks, which counted as trainers rather than fighters, capacity could be increased while continuing treaty compliance.
These conditions were nullified during the 1990s by the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Seven additional Mk.
51As were delivered in 1993–94 to make up for losses.
In June 2007, Finland arranged to purchase 18 used Hawk Mk.
66s from the Swiss Air Force for 41 million euros; they were delivered in 2009–2010.
Finnish Hawks have reportedly been armed with Soviet Molniya R-60/AA-8 as well as with AIM-9J and AIM-9M air-to-air missiles, Matra Type 155 SNEB rocket pods, unspecified British general-purpose bombs of multiple types, VKT 12.7 mm machine gun pods and Royal Small Arms Factory 30 mm ADEN autocannon pods.
The Finnish Air Force aerobatics team, the Midnight Hawks, also uses the aircraft.

Due to rising levels of metal fatigue, a major structural reinforcement program was carried out to extend the operational life of Finland's Hawks during the 1990s.
Due to lifespan limitations, 41 out of 67 in Finland's total Hawk fleet were taken out of service between 2012–2016; the remaining aircraft are younger and thus are expected to be flying into the 2030s.
In 2011, Finnish Mk.
51s and Mk.
66s underwent a series of upgrades performed by Patria, these included the adoption of a new Cockpit 4000 glass cockpit, new software, and other life-extending modifications.
This upgrade program was completed in 2013.
In January 1978, Britain and Finland announced a deal in which the Finnish Air Force was to receive 50 Hawk Mk. 51s in 1980; these aircraft were built in Finland under licence by Valmet. The Finnish Air Force was limited to 60 first-line fighter aircraft by the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947; by acquiring Hawks, which counted as trainers rather than fighters, capacity could be increased while continuing treaty compliance. These conditions were nullified during the 1990s by the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Seven additional Mk. 51As were delivered in 1993–94 to make up for losses. In June 2007, Finland arranged to purchase 18 used Hawk Mk. 66s from the Swiss Air Force for 41 million euros; they were delivered in 2009–2010. Finnish Hawks have reportedly been armed with Soviet Molniya R-60/AA-8 as well as with AIM-9J and AIM-9M air-to-air missiles, Matra Type 155 SNEB rocket pods, unspecified British general-purpose bombs of multiple types, VKT 12.7 mm machine gun pods and Royal Small Arms Factory 30 mm ADEN autocannon pods. The Finnish Air Force aerobatics team, the Midnight Hawks, also uses the aircraft.
Due to rising levels of metal fatigue, a major structural reinforcement program was carried out to extend the operational life of Finland's Hawks during the 1990s. Due to lifespan limitations, 41 out of 67 in Finland's total Hawk fleet were taken out of service between 2012–2016; the remaining aircraft are younger and thus are expected to be flying into the 2030s. In 2011, Finnish Mk. 51s and Mk. 66s underwent a series of upgrades performed by Patria, these included the adoption of a new Cockpit 4000 glass cockpit, new software, and other life-extending modifications. This upgrade program was completed in 2013.
BAE Systems Hawk