U.S. Air Force F-35 jets land on road airstrip in Lapland for Baana 24 exercise

Two U.S. Air Force F-35 fighter jets made their first landing in Lapland on Wednesday as part of the Baana 24 exercise organized by the Lapland Air Command. This event was notable, even though it was not the first instance of a military aircraft landing in Finland, as a similar Norwegian aircraft had landed in Tervo, Savo, last year. What made this occasion special was that it marked the first time U.S. forces practiced landing on a road-based airstrip.

Colonel Saku Joukas, commander of the Lapland Air Command, emphasized the significance of this milestone for the U.S. forces. The landing occurred smoothly at the Hosion airstrip located west of Ranua. According to Joukas, the width and length of the makeshift airstrip—27 meters wide and 1.8 kilometers long—proved sufficient for a safe landing, which is vital for the ongoing concept of mobile warfare as Finland prepares to receive its first F-35 fighter jets in two years.

Finland is set to acquire a total of 64 F-35s, with roughly half of them expected to be stationed in Lapland. On-site maintenance of the jets was efficiently managed by a small team handling operations like refueling.

In a related exercise, the German Air Force also landed Eurofighter Typhoon jets at Hosion, marking their first road-based landing practice. The Baana 24 exercise involved simultaneous flights from Rovaniemi and other airstrips, with approximately 20 aircraft and 300 personnel participating, 90 of whom were international. The flight operations were set to conclude on Thursday, although it was anticipated that dismantling and clearing the roads would take an additional half-day on Friday.