Finland’s Air Force has received its first two F-35A Lightning II fighters at Lapland Air Wing in Rovaniemi, with the aircraft landing on Finnish soil on 18 September after a ferry flight from Fort Worth via Lajes in the Azores. The jets, JF-510 and JF-512, entered Finnish airspace at 17:21 local time and landed at 17:45 under escort from F/A-18 Hornets, beginning domestic operations of the type.
The aircraft are the first of 64 F-35As ordered to replace Finland’s F/A-18C/D Hornet fleet. The programme is central to the country’s move into fifth-generation airpower, with deliveries scheduled to continue until the end of 2030. Initial operational capability is due at the beginning of 2028, while full operational capability is targeted for the end of 2030, as Hornets and F-35s will operate in parallel through the transition. The new fighters will undergo post-ferry inspections before a formal arrival ceremony on 1 October.