Finnish air force grounds Hawk jets after technical fault

The Finnish Air Force has suspended all flights of its Hawk jet fleet following a technical issue during a training flight, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reports.

As a precaution, the Midnight Hawks aerobatic team’s flyover at the opening ceremony of the WRC Rally Finland in Jyväskylä on Wednesday evening was also cancelled.

An investigation is underway, and Hawk operations remain halted until further notice.

The Hawk fleet was last grounded in 2023 after a crash in Keuruu, central Finland, caused by a low-pressure compressor blade failure in the jet engine.