A Finnish Air Force F-35A touching down at Rovaniemi on 18 September 2026

Finland’s First F-35s Land at Rovaniemi, Inside the Arctic Circle

by Fortuna Leroy | Sep 19, 2026 | Aviazione militare, Notizia | 0 comments

At 17:45 local time on Friday, the wheels of a Finnish F-35A Lightning II touched the runway at Rovaniemi, eight kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, with yellowing birch forest on both sides. A second followed. Finland has been paying for this moment since 2021. It finally arrived on 18 September 2026.

The two aircraft, JF-510 and JF-512, had left Fort Worth on 15 September and staged through Lajes in the Azores. American pilots flew them across the Atlantic with tanker support. Finnish Hornets met them at the border and brought them home.

They are the first two of sixty-four.

Informazioni rapide

Aeromobili: two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II, registrations JF-510 and JF-512
Arrivato: Lapland Air Wing, Rovaniemi, 18 September 2026
Itinerario: Fort Worth, Texas on 15 September, via Lajes Air Base in the Azores
Flown by: US Air Force pilots, with aerial refuelling support and a Finnish Hornet escort into Finnish airspace
Total order: 64 aircraft, replacing the F/A-18 Hornet
Built so far: eight Finnish jets completed from Production Lot 17
Initial operational capability: early 2028 · Full operational capability: late 2030
Public presentation: a ceremony at Rovaniemi on 1 October 2026

The Roundels Were Covered

One small detail says a lot about how carefully this was choreographed. For the international ferry legs, the Finnish national roundels on the aircraft were temporarily covered over. The registrations stayed visible, and so did the Finnish Air Force emblems on the tails, but the roundels did not appear until the jets were home.

A Finnish Air Force F-35A on the ground at Rovaniemi, Lapland Air Wing — One of the two Finnish F-35As at Rovaniemi on arrival day, 18 September 2026. (Photo: Ilmavoimat / Finnish Air Force)

The jets will now stay out of public view while post-ferry inspections are completed. The Finnish Air Force plans to present them formally to invited guests and media at Rovaniemi on 1 October.

What Finland Actually Bought

Sixty-four F-35As is a very large fighter fleet for a country of 5.6 million people, and that is the point. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia and has built its defence policy around the assumption that it may have to hold on alone for a period before help arrives. The Air Force has always been sized for that.

“The F-35 is one of the largest capability projects of Finland’s military defence, and it has a high level of ambition. We will have a very advanced multi-role fighter that fits Finland’s security environment excellently.”

Gen. Janne Jaakkola — Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces

Eight Finnish aircraft have been completed so far, all from Production Lot 17, and most remain in the United States supporting training. Finnish pilots and maintainers are working through courses at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas, and US-based training continues until early 2028.

Maintenance training starts at Rovaniemi in late 2026. Pilot training on Finnish soil begins in January 2027. Finnish instructors trained in America will lead it, with support from other F-35 operators including the United States, Norway and Denmark. Conscript assistant mechanics start training in 2027, and reservists get conversion instruction through refresher training after that.

Two Types, One Air Force, Four Years

The Hornet does not leave immediately. Finland will run F/A-18s and F-35As alongside each other until deliveries finish, which makes the next four years the most demanding stretch the Finnish Air Force has faced in a generation: two fleets, two supply chains, two training pipelines, one budget.

A Finnish Air Force F/A-18 Hornet from Lapland Air Wing flying over Rovaniemi Air Base — A Finnish F/A-18 Hornet from Lapland Air Wing over Rovaniemi Air Base during exercise Atlantic Trident 2025. The Hornet is the type the F-35 replaces, and the two will fly together until 2030. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Bridget Rossignol)

Lapland Air Wing is scheduled to complete its transition and operate only F-35s by early 2028, which is also the initial operational capability milestone. Karelia Air Wing at Rissala, near Kuopio, finishes most of its construction in 2027 and receives its first aircraft in 2028. Full operational capability comes in late 2030.

“Today we reached the most important milestone of the F-35 Programme, as Finland’s first F-35 fighter jets arrived in Rovaniemi and the introduction of the new capability in Finland begins.”

Col. (ret.) Henrik Elo — Director of the Finnish F-35 Programme

Finland Is Building Parts of It Too

This is not a straight purchase. Patria assembles F-35 forward fuselage sections at Halli in Jämsä, and on 3 September 2026 the company presented the first F135 engine assembled in Finland, built at its new facility at Linnavuori in Nokia. That matters more than it sounds: an air force that can put its own engines together is an air force that can keep flying when the supply chain is under strain.

Finland has flown NATO missions as a full member since April 2023. The F-35 slots that alliance role together with the national one, and the Finnish Air Force expects the aircraft’s sensors and data fusion to feed a picture shared with forces on land and at sea, not just with other fighters.

Two aircraft on a runway in Lapland is a modest sight. It is also the day a small air force with a very long border stopped waiting.

Sources: Finnish Air Force (Ilmavoimat); Finnish Defence Forces; Defence Industry Europe; Defence Blog; YLE News; Lockheed Martin.

Domande frequenti

When did Finland receive its first F-35?

Finland’s first two F-35A Lightning II fighters landed at Lapland Air Wing in Rovaniemi on 18 September 2026. They had left Lockheed Martin’s plant at Fort Worth, Texas on 15 September and staged through Lajes Air Base in the Azores on the way.

How many F-35s is Finland buying?

Sixty-four F-35As, which will replace the Finnish Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet fleet entirely. Eight aircraft have been completed so far, from Production Lot 17, and most of those remain in the United States supporting Finnish pilot and maintainer training.

What are the registrations of Finland’s first F-35s?

JF-510 and JF-512. Finnish roundels were temporarily covered during the international ferry flight, but the registrations and the Finnish Air Force emblems on the vertical stabilizers stayed visible throughout.

Where will Finland base its F-35s?

Lapland Air Wing at Rovaniemi receives them first and is scheduled to become an all-F-35 wing by early 2028. Karelia Air Wing at Rissala near Kuopio follows, with most construction finishing in 2027 and its first aircraft arriving in 2028.

When will Finland’s F-35s be fully operational?

Initial operational capability is planned for early 2028, when Lapland Air Wing completes its transition. The Finnish Air Force will fly Hornets and F-35As side by side until deliveries end and full operational capability is reached in late 2030.

Who flew Finland’s F-35s to Finland?

US Air Force pilots delivered them, supported by aerial refuelling. Finnish Hornets met the pair and escorted them once they entered Finnish airspace. Finnish pilot training in the United States continues at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas until early 2028.

Does Finland build any part of the F-35 itself?

Yes. Patria assembles F-35 forward fuselage sections at Halli in Jämsä, and completed Finland’s first locally assembled F135 engine at its new Linnavuori facility in Nokia, presented on 3 September 2026. That work is the foundation of a domestic maintenance network.