Finland’s new F-35 fighters will significantly improve drone defence, says air force commander

Finland’s current fighter capability is insufficient to detect and counter drones, but the upcoming F-35 fleet will mark a major improvement, the commander of the Finnish Air Force told national broadcaster Yle.

Speaking on Yle’s A-Studio programme, Air Force Commander Major General Timo Herranen acknowledged that Finland lacks the ability to reliably detect drones entering its airspace. He stressed that the ageing F/A-18 Hornet fleet, set to be phased out by the end of this decade, no longer meets modern threat requirements.

“The F-35s will be a significant upgrade in drone defence,” Herranen said. He added that the new fighters, expected to enter service in the coming years, will provide enhanced detection and interception capabilities against unmanned aerial threats.

Finnish authorities have already begun investing in drone countermeasures, according to Mikko Hyppönen, research director at defence technology firm Sensofusion. Speaking on the same programme, Hyppönen confirmed that public sector clients had placed new orders this week for detection systems.

“You need a combination of sensors—radar, radio signal monitoring, cameras, infrared, even acoustic systems—to effectively track and counter drones,” Hyppönen explained.

The urgency follows recent incidents where Ukrainian drones, used in strikes against Russian oil depots in the Baltic Sea region, have strayed into Finnish airspace. The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) previously warned Yle that the risk of such drones entering Finland had been anticipated, particularly as Ukraine targets sites near the Gulf of Finland.