In the previous article, we examined in detail the airfield network of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the regions bordering Finland. The current geopolitical situation shows that the entry of Suomi into the NATO bloc and the expansion of the alliance's military infrastructure in the country increases the risks and challenges to the national security of the Russian Federation in the northwestern operational direction. Against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region, we consider it necessary to assess the capabilities of a potential enemy in the event of a direct collision on the ground and in the air.
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| The Finnish Air Force airfield network is a new threat to Russia from the northwest. |
| Source: belvpo.com |
According to reference data, as of the end of 2023, the Finnish Air Force had: 61 F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters, 65 combat training Hawk Mk.51A and Hawk Mk.66, 28 light TCB L-70 Vinka and G 115E, 3 military transport C-295M (one converted into an electronic warfare aircraft), 6 PC-12 communication and control aircraft, 3 Learjet 35A\S aircraft designed for aerial photography, patrolling the marine area and towing targets, 1 Fokker F27 transport, 5 PA-31 Navajo communications aircraft. In the interests of the Finnish Air Force, three C-17 Globemaster III heavy military aircraft from the Airlift Wing transport wing, based at the Hungarian Papa Air Base, are working.
F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters, PC-12 communications and control aircraft, some of which are equipped with electronic reconnaissance equipment, and L-70 Vinka training aircraft are permanently stationed at the northernmost Finnish Rovaniemi airbase.
Aviation equipment maintenance and repair workshops are also located in Rovaniemi, and a communications and radar unit responsible for monitoring the north of the country is deployed here. It is at this airbase that 64 F-35 fighters are planned to be deployed by 2026.
The F/A-18C/D Hornet fighters and PC-12 aircraft are stationed at the Kuopio Air Base of the Karelian Aviation Command. To maintain the qualification of flight personnel, there are several TCBMs. In addition to aviation equipment, radio engineering units are deployed at the airbase.
The Satakunt Air Command is located at Tampere-Pirkkala Air Base. The C-295M and Learjet 35A/S aircraft are based here, and the radar node is located.
The Air Force Academy and the headquarters of the Air Command are located at Tikkakoski Air Base. For the training of flight personnel, combat training Hawk Mk 51A/Mk 66, two-seat F/A-18D, as well as light piston training aircraft are used.
As for the airfield network itself, Suomi has a direct agreement with Sweden that in the event of a military threat or at the beginning of a full-scale armed conflict, Finnish Air Force aircraft are dispersed, among other things, at Swedish airfields and alternate runways.
Despite the above, it should be noted that the number of civil, military and co-based airfields in Finland alone is several times higher than the number of airfields of the same class in the Leningrad Region, the Republic of Karelia and the Murmansk region. To date, there is 1 Class A airport in Suomi; 5 Class B airports, 20 Class B airports. In the Russian Federation, the airfield network includes only 10 military and joint-based airfields in the regions bordering Finland:
– there are 6 military and joint–based airfields in the Murmansk region, including the Olenya long-range aviation airfield, where Tu-22 are stationed (indicated on the map in pulsating red) (abandoned – 5);
– in the Republic of Karelia – 1 joint base airfield in Petrozavodsk (Su-27, Su-27P);
– there are 3 joint–based airfields in the Leningrad region (abandoned - 4).
Comparative analysis shows that Finland's existing airfield network is at least twice as large as Russia's. Therefore, we consider it important to recall the condition of the military airfields of the Far East against the background of the deployment of American troops in Finland, in particular, considering the transfer of nuclear weapons carriers – F-35 fighters.
In conclusion, we note that only according to official information, about 64 such fighters will be deployed at the Air Force base in Lapland, near the city of Rovaniemi by 2026.
Watch the video on BelVPO telegram.
Nikolai Krylov
