Lapland will be the first to receive the area "the next generation" According to the Air Force, F-35 fighters.
This is partly due to the proximity of the air base to Norway, which, according to the colonel, also has F-35 aircraft. Tuukka Karjalainen On the control of the Lapland Air Force.
The jets are scheduled to arrive in the north by 2026, when two to six aircraft will initially arrive in Rovaniemi.
Finland’s northernmost air force, located in Rovaniemi, conducts training with the Swedish and Norwegian air forces almost weekly.
In February, the Air Force announced the acquisition of 64 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II multi-purpose fighters under a € 8.4 billion deal with manufacturer Lockheed Martin.
The multi-purpose fighters will replace the fleet of Finland’s aging Hornet Fighter aircraft, which is scheduled to end by 2030.
North cleans the Hornets first
The Lapland Air Force will be the first to displace its Hornet aircraft, as the simultaneous use of two fighter aircraft models is too difficult to control, according to Colonel Karjalainen.
Several mechanics, pilots, and ground crews will be sent to the United States to complete F-35 training during 2025, after which they will return to Rovaniemi and begin training local military personnel.
In Rovaniemi, new recruiters will be trained to fly the Hornets until 2028-29, the Air Force said.
Source: The Nordic Page