The day after Finnish leaders announced their plans to apply for NATO membership, the U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker flew across the country with the intention of refueling four U.S. military aircraft in Finnish airspace.
The refueling aircraft set off from the RAF Mildenhall air base in the south-east of England and flew along the Norwegian coast before heading east towards Finnish Lapland.
At 1 p.m., the refueling aircraft flew slowly over southern Lapland at an altitude of about 6,000 meters. The plane eventually left Finnish airspace and headed south to Estonia, which has been a member of NATO since 2004.
The Defense Forces were close to the symbolic visit of the planes to Finnish airspace. It granted permission to fly over those planes that were not scheduled to land in Finland.
According to the U.S. Air Force, the A10 offensive aircraft are designed to provide close support to the ground forces against various targets, including tanks. These aircraft did not appear on Flightradar.
In December, Finland decided to buy 64 F-35A Lightning II fighters from the US manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
The Ministry of Defense said last week that a Russian military helicopter is suspected of violating Finnish airspace.
The US forces are involved in the training of special forces in Finland
About 20 American soldiers also began training with the Utin Jaeger Regiment in southeastern Finland on Friday.
The bilateral Finnish-American exercise will last until June 5. Its goal is to strengthen the ability of Finnish special forces to work with international partners.
U.S. forces are participating in training activities in Kouvola and elsewhere in southern Finland.
Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel. Janne Sallilasaid that the exercise has been planned for a long time and is not related to Finland ‘s possible accession to NATO.
Meanwhile, about 20 soldiers from the Utin Jaeger Regiment took part in a U.S.-led multinational special forces exercise in Lithuania that ended on Friday.
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Source: The Nordic Page