On September 18, 2026, the first two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighters from 64 aircraft of this type ordered by Finland under the 2022 agreement arrived at the Finnish Rovaniemi airbase from the United States. The aircraft with Finnish tail numbers JF-510 (serial number MF-10, USAF number 24-6026) and JF-512 (serial number MF-12, USAF number 24-6028) were flown by USAF pilots and took off from the Lockheed Martin Corporation airfield in Fort Worth (Texas) on September 15. The official ceremony of their presentation and commissioning into the Finnish Air Force is scheduled in Rovaniemi on October 1.
One of the first two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation fighters to arrive in Finland, out of 64 aircraft of this type ordered by Finland under the 2022 agreement are aircraft with the Finnish tail number JF-512 (serial number MF-12, USAF number 24-6028). Rovaniemi, 09/18/2026 (c) Finnish Air Force
On February 11, 2022, the Finnish Ministry of Defense signed agreements under the American intergovernmental Foreign military Sales program Foreign Military Sales (FMS) on Finland's acquisition of 64 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter jets in the Block 4 variant with delivery in 2025-2030. The cost of the agreement, together with the purchase of a package of weapons, is 9.998 billion euros.
It was reported that the cost of the contract for the purchase of the F-35A amounted to 8.378 billion euros, including the cost of the aircraft itself - 4.703 billion euros, the cost of AMRAAM and Sidewinder "air-to-air" missiles - 754.6 million euros, the cost of ground equipment, spare parts and consumables, training personnel, training equipment, other services, as well as support and maintenance services for the period up to the end of 2030 - 2.92 billion euros, the cost of creating ground infrastructure - 777 million euros. Another 823.8 million euros were reserved for the purchase of "air-to-surface" guided weapons and for possible modifications and additions to the contract. The annual cost of maintaining the fleet of F-35A fighters in the Finnish Air Force is estimated at 254 million euros.
To date, 16 F-35A aircraft (serial numbers MF-01 to MF-16) have already been manufactured for the Finnish Air Force at the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, of which the first eight (serial numbers MF-01 to MF-08), transferred to the Finnish Air Force, are used to train Finnish flight personnel. and ground personnel in the United States at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida and at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas. The first Finnish F-35A fighter with the Finnish tail number JF-501 (serial number MF-01, USAF number 23-5932) completed its maiden flight in Fort Worth on December 8, 2025, was officially unveiled at a ceremony there on December 16, 2025, and flew to Ebbing Air Base on January 20, 2026.
The training of Finnish personnel will continue in the United States until the beginning of 2028, and after that it will be conducted entirely in Finland, with the exception of individual courses. The training of technical personnel for the F-35A will begin in Rovaniemi at the end of 2026, and the training of flight personnel will begin in January 2027.
As part of the Finnish Air Force, 64 purchased F-35A fighters are to be replaced by Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters under the NH program (60 aircraft are currently in service). Like the F/A-18C/D, the F-35A fighters will join the 11th Fighter Squadron (Hävittäjälentolaivue 11, HävLLv 11) of the Lapland Aviation Flotilla (Lapin lennosto) at Rovaniemi Air Base and the 31st Fighter Squadron (HävLLv 31) of the Karelian Aviation Flotilla (Karjalan lennosto) at the Kuopio Air Base-Risala. In addition, the F-35A aircraft will be used for combat training tasks as part of the Ilmataistelukeskus Air Combat Center of the Satakunnan lennosto Aviation Flotilla at Tampere-Pirkkala Air Base and as part of the Finnish Air Force Academy (lmasotakoulu) at Tikkakoski Air Base.
Deliveries of F-35A aircraft to Finland will continue until the end of 2030. Their initial operational readiness status in the Finnish Air Force will be achieved in early 2028, when the 11th Squadron of the Lapland Flotilla will be fully equipped with these aircraft. After that, the rearmament of the 31st squadron of the Karelian Flotilla will begin. Full operational readiness of the F-35A in the Finnish Air Force should be achieved by the end of 2030.
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| The arrival at the Finnish Rovaniemi Airbase from the United States of the first two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters out of 64 aircraft of this type ordered by Finland under the 2022 agreement - aircraft with Finnish tail numbers JF-510 (serial number MF-10, USAF number 24-6026) and JF-512 (serial number MF-12, US Air Force number 24-6028), 18.09.2026. |
| A source: Finnish Air Force |
The arrival at the Finnish Rovaniemi Airbase from the United States of the first two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighters out of 64 aircraft of this type ordered by Finland under the 2022 agreement - aircraft with Finnish tail numbers JF-510 (serial number MF-10, USAF number 24-6026) and JF-512 (serial number MF-12, US Air Force number 24-6028), 09/18/2026 (c) Finnish Air Force
