Finland's first F-35 jets have arrived in the country

Finland’s first two F-35A fighter jets landed at the Lapland Air Wing in Rovaniemi on Sept. 18, opening the operational phase of a 64-jet purchase meant to replace the Finnish Air Force’s aging F/A-18 Hornet fleet.

The two aircraft, tail numbers JF-510 and JF-512, left Lockheed Martin’s factory in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sept. 15 and made a refueling stop at Lajes Air Base in Portugal’s Azores islands before entering Finnish airspace at 5:21 p.m. local time. They landed at Rovaniemi 24 minutes later, escorted by Finnish F/A-18 Hornets. U.S. Air Force pilots flew the transatlantic ferry flight, a standard arrangement for international transfers involving American military pilots, and Finland’s national roundels were temporarily covered during the trip while the aircraft’s serial numbers and Finnish Air Force tail markings remained visible.

“The F-35 is one of the most significant capability projects in Finland’s defense, and its ambition level is high,” said Gen. Janne Jaakkola, Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces. “The arrival of the first aircraft in Rovaniemi is not an endpoint, but a beginning: we are building the capacity to use the full potential of the aircraft’s performance, as part of Finland’s defense system and as a seamless part of the alliance’s air defense and strike capability.”

Finland’s fleet designation, JF, stands for Joint Fighter, chosen to emphasize the aircraft’s relevance across all branches of the Finnish Defence Forces rather than just the air force. The 64 aircraft will carry sequential numbers from JF-501 to JF-564 as they arrive.

Finland selected the F-35A in December 2021 over Boeing’s Super Hornet, France’s Rafale, the Eurofighter Typhoon and Sweden’s Gripen, in a deal covering the aircraft, weapons, training and sustainment through 2030 valued at roughly 8.4 billion euros, or about $9.5 billion. The purchase followed Finland’s accession to NATO in April 2023, after which the Finnish Air Force began operating as a full alliance member.

“The F-35’s combat capability is in a class of its own,” said Maj. Gen. Timo Herranen, Commander of the Finnish Air Force. “The aircraft’s versatile and advanced sensors enable the detection and identification of new target types, and sensor fusion combines the information produced by the aircraft’s systems to build the pilot’s situational awareness and support decision-making. This information does not stay within a single aircraft; it can be shared with other actors in the networked defense system on land, at sea and in the air.”

The first eight Finnish-built aircraft, from Lockheed Martin’s 17th production lot, remain in the United States, where Finnish pilots and maintenance personnel are completing initial F-35 training at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas. Training in the United States is scheduled to continue until early 2028, after which nearly all instruction will shift to Finland, apart from occasional individual courses. Aircraft mechanic training will begin at Rovaniemi later this year, with pilot training starting in January 2027, taught by Finnish instructors who completed their own training in the U.S. and supported by instructors from other F-35 operator nations including the United States, Norway and Denmark.

Base construction is proceeding at four locations. Rovaniemi was ready to receive the first aircraft. Work at the Karelia Air Command’s Rissala base is targeted for substantial completion during 2027 so it can receive its first F-35s in 2028, while the Satakunta Air Command at Pirkkala and the Air Force Academy at Tikkakoski are also undergoing construction to meet the F-35 program’s security and operational requirements.

Col. Tuukka Elonheimo will take over as commander of the Lapland Air Wing on Oct. 1, moving from his post as head of the F-35 Foreign Liaison Office in Washington, D.C., a role he has held since July 2024. The current wing commander, Col. Saku Joukas, will succeed him at that Washington office.

Finland expects to reach initial operational capability in early 2028, when the Lapland Air Wing will fly the F-35 exclusively, and full operational capability by the end of 2030, with deliveries continuing through that year. The Finnish Air Force will operate the F/A-18 Hornet and F-35A in parallel throughout the transition. A formal reception ceremony for invited guests and media is planned for Oct. 1, with President Alexander Stubb, the Defence Forces’ commander-in-chief, in attendance.

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