Finland Receives Its First Fleet of Advanced F-35 Fighter Jets

Two of Finland’s new F-35A Lightning II fighter jets landed at the Rovaniemi airbase on Friday evening, marking the start of a major modernization of the country’s aerial defense.

The aircraft arrived at approximately 17:45 local time. According to local media, a crowd of over 200 people gathered to witness the highly anticipated landing.

Finland ordered 64 of the advanced stealth fighters from the United States in 2021 to replace its aging fleet of F/A-18 Hornets. This 10 billion euro procurement represents one of the largest defense investments in Finnish history.

A third jet was scheduled to arrive but remained in the Azores over the Atlantic Ocean due to a departure delay. Henrik Elo, the Finnish Air Force F-35 program manager, told public broadcaster Yle that the rest of the fleet could not wait for it.

Elo emphasized that the military takes no risks with the aircraft. He confirmed the delayed jet will join the Lapland Air Command later, though the exact delivery schedule for the remaining fighters is classified.

The new F-35 fleet will be stationed in Rovaniemi, located in Finnish Lapland near the Russian border. This strategic location has gained international significance since Finland joined the NATO alliance in April 2023.

Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Janne Jaakkola, noted that the arrival is only the beginning of a long-term process. He described the F-35 as an extremely advanced multirole fighter perfectly suited for Finland’s security environment.

Jaakkola told Yle that the military is building the capacity to use the aircraft as a seamless part of the NATO alliance’s air defense and strike capability. The Air Force expects the F-35 system to remain the backbone of its combat strength into the 2060s.

The newly arrived jets will not fly locally until they are presented to the media in early October. Regular training flights in the Rovaniemi area are scheduled to begin toward the end of October.