Finland receives its first F-35 fighter jets
Friday 18th September 2026 on 17:01 in
Finland
Finland’s first Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter jets arrived in the country on Friday, Yle reports. The Finnish Air Force will present the aircraft in Rovaniemi on October 1.
The United States-made F-35 is described as the world’s first fifth-generation stealth fighter and its most modern multirole fighter. The commonly used A model is designed to take off from and land on a conventional runway.
Its stealth features make the aircraft difficult to detect by radar. It also has several sensors that can collect information and transmit it to other aircraft and military systems.
Aircraft will protect Finnish airspace
During peacetime, the Finnish Air Force will use the F-35s to help safeguard Finland’s territorial integrity. Air Force Commander Timo Herranen said in April that the new fighters would significantly improve the force’s ability to intercept drones that could potentially stray into Finland because of the war in Ukraine.
In exceptional circumstances, the fighters would be used to intercept enemy aircraft and support operations by the Army and Navy. The Defence Forces has purchased various weapons for the multirole fighters, including air-to-air missiles and glide bombs.
64 aircraft ordered
Finland has ordered a total of 64 F-35 fighters. They will gradually replace the F/A-18 Hornet fighters currently in service.
According to the Defence Forces, the F-35s can collect and combine information in real time more extensively than the Hornets.
The F-35s will first enter service with the Lapland Air Command. The Karelia Air Command, based in Rissala in Kuopio, will receive its first F-35 fighters in 2028.
Procurement timeline
In October 2015, Defence Minister Jussi Niinistö authorised the Defence Forces to find a replacement for the ageing Hornet fighters.
In December 2021, the government decided that Finland would buy 64 US-made Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters. Production of the new aircraft began in the United States in October 2024.
The Air Force announced in August 2026 that the new fighters would arrive in Rovaniemi by early October. On September 17, the first aircraft began their transfer flight from Fort Worth, Texas, to Finland, flown by American fighter pilots. The first F-35s landed at Rovaniemi Airport on September 18.