Finland’s Air Force formally presented its first in-country F-35A Lightning II fighters at Lapland Air Wing in Rovaniemi on 1 October, as the Nordic nation begins the operational transition to the type. The aircraft displayed were JF-510 and JF-512, which had arrived at Rovaniemi Air Base on 18 September, and the ceremony included the first F-35 flight in Finland by a Finnish pilot.
The event marked the start of Finland’s permanent basing of the new fighter, with the Lapland Air Wing set to become the first Finnish unit to introduce the F-35 into service. Finland has 64 F-35As on order, and eight aircraft remain in the United States for training by Finnish pilots and maintainers.
The transition will run for several years, with Hornets and F-35s operated in parallel until the new fleet is fully introduced. The Air Force expects initial operational capability in early 2028, by which point Lapland Air Wing will operate the F-35 exclusively. One aircraft from the same batch was held back after a technical issue, leaving two jets on display at the ceremony.