Finland has received its first two permanently based F-35A fighters, with Lockheed Martin and the Finnish Defence Forces presenting the aircraft at Rovaniemi on 1 October. The delivery begins the domestic phase of Finland’s fighter transition programme and lifts the country’s total F-35A fleet received to 10 of 64 aircraft.
The jets are stationed at Lapland Air Wing in northern Finland, where the F-35 will gradually replace the F/A-18 Hornet. Eight additional aircraft remain at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas for training Finnish pilots and maintainers, while the wider fleet introduction continues through 2030.
Finnish Air Force plans call for maintenance training in Rovaniemi to start later this year, followed by pilot training in January 2027. Initial operational capability is expected in early 2028, when Lapland Air Wing is due to operate the F-35 exclusively. The programme is central to Finland’s northern air defence posture and adds to NATO airpower in the Arctic region.