Finland’s first F-35 fighters arrive at Rovaniemi Air Base

Finland’s first two domestically based F-35A Lightning II fighters landed at Rovaniemi on 18 September 2026, marking an important stage in the country’s transition from the F/A-18 Hornet.

Aircraft JF-510 and JF-512 reached the Lapland Air Wing after a three-day delivery flight from Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility, including a stop at Lajes Air Base in the Azores. They entered Finnish airspace at 17:21 and landed at 17:45, escorted by Finnish Hornets. The aircraft were flown by US Air Force pilots, and their Finnish roundels were temporarily covered.

A third Finnish aircraft, JF-511, remained at Lajes following an unidentified technical problem. The transatlantic formation also included three Belgian F-35As—FL-013, FL-015 and FL-016—which continued their delivery journey successfully. Two US Air Force KC-135 tankers supported the crossing.

The newly arrived aircraft will undergo post-ferry inspections before a formal ceremony on 1 October. They will join 11 Squadron at Rovaniemi.

Finland has ordered 64 F-35As, designated JF-501 to JF-564, to replace its Hornet fleet. Eight aircraft will initially remain at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas for training, with around 150 Finnish personnel being instructed in the United States.

Training is expected to transfer fully to Finland in 2028, when deliveries to the Karelia Air Wing at Rissala will begin. Finland plans to operate the F-35 and Hornet simultaneously until 2030, with the new aircraft forming the core of its air combat capability into the 2060s and contributing to NATO’s integrated air defence.